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. Paul Hornung Super Bowl Jersey . 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They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end.NAPA, Calif. -- Matt Flynn is solidifying his role as starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders one year after losing that same job in training camp in Seattle. Flynn entered camp with the inside track over Terrelle Pryor and rookie Tyler Wilson to replace Carson Palmer in Oakland and has done nothing in the first week of camp to change that equation. Its a far cry to what happened to Flynn a year ago in Seattle where Flynn went from coveted off-season free-agent acquisition with a $26 million contract to backing up a third-round pick in a matter of weeks at training camp. With Russell Wilson set as starter in Seattle, Flynn was traded to Oakland in the off-season and has done his best to hold onto this opportunity to start in the NFL. "I took away a lot of things from Seattle last year," Flynn said Tuesday. "But the thing that I took away the most was that I want this even more now, even more this year. Im blessed to have another opportunity at this and Ill try to take advantage of it and do as much as I can to not let it get away from me." Flynn has been the most impressive of the three quarterbacks so far in training camp with the most accurate arm, a good grasp of the offence and strong leadership on the field. "Im going in there and trying to be the best quarterback out here, trying to be the best quarterback for this team and help this team win as best I can," Flynn said. "Im coming in here every day with my hard hat on, trying to prepare." Flynn, a backup in college at LSU to former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, has started just two games in five seasons as a pro. But its those brief appearances that are so intriguing. He threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns in a loss at New England in place of an injured Aaron Rodgers late in the 2010 season. He then started the regular-season finale the following season, going 31 for 44 for 480 yards and six touchdown passes in a 45-41 win over Detroit. That led to the $26 million, three-year contract from the Seahawks. But Flynn struggled in the second exhibition game last summer and missed the third with an elbow injury. By that point Wilson passed him on the depth chart and Flynn was relegated to another year as a backup. Despite winning a national championship at LSU and the impressive performances in his few chances in the NFL, Flynn still faces many doubters who question whether he has a strong enough arm to succeed in the pro game. "To play quarterback in thee NFL, to me, you have to be two things: You have to be smart and you have to be accurate," he said.dddddddddddd "Things on the field are going to come and you have to be able to do that as well, and I feel very confident in my ability to do that, but overall you have to be smart and accurate." Flynn got another chance to prove that when the Raiders dealt a 2014 fifth-round pick and a conditional pick in 2015 to Seattle. While coach Dennis Allen has stressed an open competition at quarterback with Pryor and another rookie named Wilson -- Tyler -- nothing that has been seen so far in the off-season or camp indicates that Flynn wont be the starter when the season opens Sept. 8 in Indianapolis. Flynn has gotten the vast majority of the time with the first-team offence so far and is earning the trust of his teammates. "Its kind of playing out about like I expected. Matt Flynn has been pretty consistent," coach Dennis Allen said. "Those guys are doing exactly what we want them to do, keep competing and keep playing. Dont worry about the depth chart, just keep getting better." Part of what has solidified Flynns hold on the job is that neither Pryor nor Tyler Wilson has seized it the way Russell Wilson did a year ago. Pryor, who provided a spark when he started the season finale last year, is still far too inconsistent throwing the ball but can be a dual threat as a scrambler or runner. Pryor has worked hard on improving his mechanics, spending the off-season working with former major league pitcher Tom House, who has also coached Tom Brady and Drew Brees. "I found out that I was leaving my chest open a lot so it was making me late," Pryor said. "So when I was coming down to throw with my left arm, my right arm was saying its time to go, the timing wasnt right. He kind of helped me with that. Its definitely helping shoot the ball a lot more and better. My thing looking in the mirror last year was I need to be more accurate." Tyler Wilson is an intriguing prospect who was drafted in the fourth round out of Arkansas. But he is still adjusting to the NFL game as evidenced by one practice early in camp when he threw three interceptions in a stretch of four plays. NOTES: RB Latavius Murray, WR Jacoby Ford and OL Lucas Nix were among the injured players who did not practice. ... WR Conner Vernon, DL Stacy McGee and OL Alex Parsons were injured during practice. ... The Raiders have their first day off Wednesday. ' ' '