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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc fulfilled every Canadian boys dream last week by becoming NHL owners. But before they had even completed the deal to buy the Phoenix Coyotes from the league, Gosbee, LeBlanc and their partners were already in the crosshairs. The issue was the five-year out clause they put in an arena lease agreement with the city of Glendale. On one hand, they understood the consternation; Coyotes fans had gone through an emotional roller coaster in four years of waiting for an owner. What bothered the members of IceArizona was that they had no intention of moving the team. That would mean they had lost $50 million in their new venture and had failed, something none of them have had much experience with. "Its frustrating for me because for this exit clause to kick in, we have to lose $50 million and thats not something I want to do," Gosbee said. "We came into this to build a successful organization in Phoenix and thats our plan. We have no plans of relocating anywhere else and we have no plans to lose $50 million, I can tell you that." For LeBlanc, buying the Coyotes completed an arduous quest that lasted more than four years. He started his career as a salesman for a regional cellphone company in New Brunswick and later joined Research in Motion just as it was developing the Blackberry. LeBlanc worked his way up through the ranks in eight years with the company, becoming a marketing executive before leaving in 2008 to pursue his dream of owning a hockey team. He started Ice Edge Holdings with a goal of bringing a major junior or minor league team to Thunder Bay, Ontario, where his family moved when he was 10. After former Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes took the team into bankruptcy in 2009, LeBlanc shifted his focus toward the Valley of the Sun. His initial effort, with partner Daryl Jones, fell through, as did a minority ownership with Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer. LeBlanc also was working with former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison in his attempt to buy the team. When Jamisons bid fell through in January, LeBlanc decided to take one more crack at buying the Coyotes. This time, he and Jones brought in Gosbee, a Calgary businessman whose specialty was completing complicated financial transactions. "If George didnt get involved, we wouldnt have bought this team, its as simple as that," LeBlanc said. Gosbee grew up in Alberta and, like LeBlanc, spent his Saturday nights watching Hockey Night in Canada and loved playing shinny games with kids in the neighbourhood. His two sons are also accomplished hockey players; John plays for a Junior A team in Port Alberni, British Columbia, and Carter at a high-performance school in Calgary. Gosbee made his mark professionally in energy investment banking, handling mergers and acquisitions for numerous companies. Once he became a part of the group trying to buy the Coyotes, Gosbee put his background to perfect use, bringing in what had been lacking in previous deals: investors with hard cash to spend. Gosbees ability to close the deal earned him the moniker the Great Gosbee and helped him offset the devastation of having his Calgary home flooded out in June. "We had a good partnership and were able to put all the missing pieces together," said Gosbee, who is now looking to buy homes in Calgary and Phoenix. "I thought if I was able to deliver the last piece to it, I was comfortable with it (being called the deal saviour), but there was a lot of legwork done before I got there." Though theyve only known each other since Gosbee came on board in February, the two have become fast friends. Gosbee and LeBlanc have the common bond of being Canadians who love hockey and have reached the upper echelons of their fields of expertise. Theyre also different in ways that complement each other: LeBlanc the gregarious salesman, Gosbee the calculating businessman. "I would say it was the perfect partnership," said Gosbee, the teams new governor. "Were similar in some aspects. Hes got some strengths Ill never get near to and I think I have some strengths where he doesnt have the experience with, so its a great combination." The task ahead for Gosbee and LeBlanc is making the Coyotes a successful venture in a market that has, at times, been nonchalant in its support for hockey. When the team is winning, the fans will latch onto the bandwagon, as they did when the Coyotes went to the Western Conference finals two years ago. Gosbee and LeBlanc gave general manager Don Maloney more financial leeway in this years free-agent period -- he was able to lure top-line forward Mike Ribeiro to the desert -- and plan to give him a bigger bankroll in the years to come. While being run by the NHL, the Coyotes had limited marketing options, so now the new owners have started aggressively marketing the team to increase suite and season-ticket sales, along with corporate sponsorships. With a competitive team, better marketing and a firm ownership group in place, Gosbee and LeBlanc believe hockey can be successful in the Valley. "We have a really strong hockey side of the business," said LeBlanc, who is working on getting his immigration status cleared before buying a home in Arizona. "Im not going to sit here and guarantee were going to go to the playoffs or win the Stanley Cup, but I will guarantee this is a franchise that is going to play hard and be competitive every night. You have that and strong ownership, those two things are the litmus test you need." Now that they own the team, its time for Gosbee and LeBlanc to see if they can pass the test and make the out clause a moot point. 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Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseballs model franchises.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Al Jefferson had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Gerald Henderson added 17 points and eight rebounds and the Charlotte Bobcats blew past the Golden State Warriors 91-75 on Tuesday night in Kemba Walkers much-anticipated return. Walker finished with seven points, seven assists and six rebounds after missing the last seven games with a sprained left ankle. He played 33 minutes. The Bobcats controlled the game from the start, going ahead by 18 points late in the third quarter and 22 midway through the fourth. Charlotte, which shot 47.4 per cent, held the Warriors to a season-low 31.2 per cent shooting. Stephen Curry had 17 points and 11 assists against his hometown team, Klay Thompson scored 12 and Andrew Bogut grabbed 15 rebounds for the Warriors, who have been held below 38 per cent shooting in three of their past four games. The Warriors briefly gave their announced sellout crowd of 19,596 something to cheer for when Marreese Speights made a half-court heave as the third quarter expired to slice Charlottes lead 72-57. Any hope quickly faded when Anthony Tolliver hit a pair of 3-pointers to put the Bobcats up 78-60 lead with 9:51 remaining. The Bobcats closed out their road trip 3-1 and handed a streaky Golden State team another stinging setback. Warriors coach Mark Jackson publicly called out his team last month for playing down to their opponents too often this season, especially at home. Apparently, his players still havent received the message. The Bobcats (22-28) swept the season against the Warriorss (29-20) after beating Golden State 115-111 in Charlotte on Dec.dddddddddddd 9. And out West, they outhustled and outshot the Warriors from the start. Charlotte ran Golden States prolific shooters off the 3-point line, forcing them into difficult mid-range jumpers. The Bobcats were equally efficient on the offensive end, going ahead 26-13 after the first quarter. The Warriors simply looked lost and lethargic. They hovered just above 20 per cent shooting for most of the first half, and their usually loud crowd stayed mostly silent. The Bobcats went ahead 44-27 with 3:42 left in the second quarter and 51-39 at halftime. It was only the third time all season the Warriors had been held below 40 points in the first half. Golden State trimmed Charlottes lead to eight early in the third quarter on Thompsons 3-pointer. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford called timeout to regroup his players, who responded by building an 18-point lead before Speights hit a halfcourt shot as time expired to bring the Warriors within 72-57 entering the fourth. That was pretty much the only celebration Charlotte allowed. NOTES: The Warriors worst shooting performance before Tuesday was when they shot 35.5 per cent in a 105-83 loss at Houston on Dec. 6. ... Warriors backup centre Jermaine ONeal had nine points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes in his first game since Dec. 9 at Charlotte. He missed 26 games recovering from surgery on his right wrist. ... The Bobcats dont play again until hosting San Antonio on Saturday. ... The Warriors host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. ' ' '