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The Phoenix Coyotes four-year ownership saga is over. The papers are signed. The NHL has approved the deal. The teams fans, players and front office can finally relax. "Today is about turning our collective focus to the strong future of the Coyotes here in Arizona and clearly stop talking about ownership questions," Anthony LeBlanc, the Coyotes new CEO and alternate governor, said Tuesday at Jobing.com Arena. "Its time to stop talking about arena leases, its time to stop talking about financing options and where the team will play next year, and to focus on what is important to all of us, and that is what happens on the ice." The Coyotes completed an arduous process to find an owner on Monday, when LeBlanc, George Gosbee and the rest of IceArizona completed their purchase of the franchise from the NHL. The leagues Board of Governors then approved the sale to the Canadian investors, triggering a 15-year, $225 million lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena between the City of Glendale and Renaissance and Sports Entertainment, IceArizonas managing partner. The official announcement came on Tuesday, with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman joining Gosbee, LeBlanc, members of the Glendale city council -- the four who voted in favour of the lease agreement -- and employees from across the Coyotes organization, including general manager Don Maloney and defenceman Derek Morris. "This is a day that we believed since the beginning of all these proceedings four years ago should take place because it would be the right thing for the great fans that we have here in the Valley of the Sun," Bettman said. "Its important and has been important to the City of Glendale. And it was important to the National Hockey League, because we always believed in this market." Now its up to IceArizona to make it work in a market that tends to be winner-driven. A big step is keeping the Coyotes competitive. Even when Phoenix reached the playoffs the first two years without an owner, support fluctuated, from half-capacity crowds at Jobing.com Arena at times during the regular season to raucous support once the post-season started. The Coyotes showed what the Phoenix market could be like two years ago, when they used a blue-collar mentality to make a late-season push toward their first division title in 33 years as an NHL franchise. The desert dogs brought fans along with them on the bandwagon as they kept winning, becoming the darlings of the Valley as they marched toward the Western Conference finals for the first time. The NHL lockout, which stretched into January, dampened some of the Coyotes momentum last season and an inconsistent performance, one that left them four points short of the Wests final playoff spot, didnt help. Even before its deal was complete, RSE started taking steps toward making the Coyotes better. Maloney, assistant general manager Brad Treliving and coach Dave Tippett, along with his staff, all signed long-term deals to stay. Goalie Mike Smith, who had been hesitant to sign with ownership up in the air, signed a five-year deal before Glendales city council had approved the lease agreement. Once the lease was done, IceArizona loosened the purse strings a bit for Maloney and the front office, allowing them to make a big free-agent splash by signing top-line forward Mike Ribeiro. And, as the franchise moves forward, the new ownership group has vowed to give the Coyotes more financial flexibility. Phoenix still wont be one of the top-spending teams in the NHL, but itll certainly have more resources available than it did before. "Were definitely planning to increase the player payroll and were going to increase it year over year, but the reality is were not a club that plans to spend to the ceiling," LeBlanc said. "With Don Maloneys stewardship of the franchise, we expect to continue making this a very exciting, very competitive hockey team." The new ownership group also will try to expand the fan base. The teams name will be changed to the Arizona Coyotes sometime after next season and IceArizona will work to expand the franchises marketing efforts, something that had been limited while it was being run by the NHL. "For the first time in years with this franchise, theres no question it will be tied to Arizona; we have good, strong local ownership," LeBlanc said. "Quite frankly, it will be boots to the ground marketing of getting this product out." It should be easier now that the biggest step -- securing an owner -- is out of the way. 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Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Wholesale NHL Gear . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. The enormous expectations and pressure on the Chicago Cubs might have actually been lessened somewhat by playing the San Francisco Giants?in the Division Series. Not because the Giants arent a worthy opponent; quite the opposite, the Giants are rolling again. They have their own compelling story to tell and this series isnt solely about the Cubs and their bid to win a World Series for the first time in 108 years. The Cubs quest remains the primary theme of this postseason, but the surge by the Giants -- another masterful performance by the mythical Madison Bumgarner, Bruce Bochy, Jeff Samardzija, Hunter Pences hair and, from nowhere, Conor Gillaspies home run -- gives people something else to talk about. That is good for the Cubs.Here are five questions.How good is the Cubs rotation?So good, that one potential Cy Young winner, Kyle Hendricks, will have to wait until the second game to make his start after Jon Lester. So good, Jake Arrieta, who has gone 40-14 the last two years, wont start until Game 3. So good, John Lackey, who was signed by the Cubs in the offseason to make critical postseason starts, will have to wait until Game 4. Still, there is a minor concern with Arrieta, though not from him. In his last start, he allowed seven earned runs, the second-most runs hes allowed in a start as a Cub. In his last six starts, he went 2-3 with 21 earned runs allowed in 35 2/3 innings. Hes healthy and more rested than at this time last year. Maybe he has a great October ahead.What is the status of the Giants rotation?It is in good shape other than Bumgarner having to wait until Game 3 to start. The Giants spent last winter and the 2016 trade deadline making sure they had enough starting pitching after Bumgarner. Johnny Cueto went 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA, making him one of the best No. 2 starters in the game. After a couple of terrific starts he made in the postseason last year for the World Champion Royals, there should be no more talk of whether he is up for the challenge of the biggest games. Samardzija, who pitched for the Cubs for seven years before he was traded to Oakland for Addison Russell, went 12-11 with a 3.81 ERA this year. Left-hander Matt Moore, acquired in late July, pitched some really good games down the stretch. And then theres Bumgarner, who shut out the Mets in the wild-card game, lowering his road ERA in the postseason to 0.50, a record, by far. He has made 13 postseason starts and allowed no runs in six of them, tying Tom Glavine for the most scoreless postseason starts in history (it took Glavine 35 starts to get his six). A pitcher has thrown a shutout in a winner-take-all game 19 times. Only Bumgarner has done it twice. He has pitched 23 innings in winner-take-all games and not allowed a run. If the Giants can win one of two in Chicago, then hand it to Bumgarner in Game 3, this series could get very interestting.ddddddddddddHow much better offensively are the Cubs than last year?Remember, the Cubs got shut down by the great pitching staff of the Mets in the 2015 NLCS. That could happen again -- anything is possible in baseball -- but the Cubs are a significantly better offensive club in 2016. They scored 119 more runs than last year, placing them second in the NL in runs scored to the Rockies. Just as important, they struck out 221 fewer times than last year. First baseman Anthony Rizzos approach to hitting -- he chokes up with two strikes and sometimes just tries to put a ball in play -- hasnt gone unnoticed by other Cubs. The addition of Ben Zobrist, who is a tough out, even with two strikes, has made a difference. In spring training, Maddon said he was dazzled by how much better a two-strike hitter Kris Bryant was compared to last season. It showed. It has shown with all the Cubs.Who will close for the Giants?The Giants led the league in blown saves (30). They lost more games (nine) that they entered the ninth inning with a lead than any team in baseball; five of them came in September. They lost 10 games that they led by three or more runs, most in the major leagues. The bullpen blew eight games in which Bumgarner was in line for a victory, most in the major leagues. The bullpen is the primary reason that the Giants went 30-42 in the second half, the worst second-half record ever by a team that made it to the postseason. Sergio Romo, a former Giants closer who got the final out of the 2012 World Series, is seen as the closer now, but even thats not guaranteed. Bochy will mix and match down there. There is no one better at that than him, but its highly unlikely that he will go back to Santiago Casilla, especially at home, where Casilla occasionally gets booed. The Giants had a tremendously deep and effective bullpen in each of their three championship seasons over the last six seasons. They dont have that same depth this year.How good is the Cubs defense?It is the best in the National League. Russells shift to shortstop in June 2015 was the big move. Russell, and the overall Cubs defense, has gotten better with every game he plays at shortstop. Jason Heyward has brought tremendous defense to right field. Javier Baez has provided great defense at whatever infield position he plays. Bryant can play third base or the outfield. This gives Maddon all sorts of options. Defense was Maddons signature with his Tampa Bay Rays teams. He may be a new-school guy with the way he relates to players and because hes the most interesting man in the world, but he is as old school as it gets when it comes to the actually playing of the game. To him, you simply cant win without a good defense.Prediction:?Cubs in five. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '