Dion Phaneuf Appreciation Thread

[Cor]

Alright. We know his contract, we know the moments of brain dead-ness

However, Phaneuf was a leader, he was a straight up guy, and a damn good player for us.

Wish him all the best. Just don't catch Marner or Nylander with their heads down please.

Click to read more...

 

[HarrisonFord]

An absolute warrior. Played through whatever injury. Did whatever was asked of him. Deserves to be appreciated for the work he did here. You could never knock the guy for effort either.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Genuinely sad to see him go - the excitement he brought when he was first acquired was huge and he sustained a relatively reliable game with occasionally moments of huge hits that was fun to see.

Best of luck on the sens

 

[I Believe]

Work ethic was definately there. I'll miss his big hits.

He was a classy guy all in all, wish him the best. No real ill feelings towards him at all.

 

[Super Mega]

he was used wrong since he got here but he was a fine player, not the bum many of this fanbase painted him as.

I cant with good conscience wish him best playing for the senators but I appreciate what he did with his time here

 

[Lifeisnice]

Took too much **** from time to time. Was a great player and I was so happy when we acquired him. Ottawa picked up a great piece

 

[Deuce Awesome]

Never lived up to the expectations that Burke and co placed on him, and never lived up to his salary which were his downfall. Phaneuf and Kessel were supposed to turn this team around and it never happened. Which is not a fault of the players involved but a fault of management not being able to assess talent.

As a second pairing guy he will excel. Or a first pairing where he is not the number one.

He will do fine on Ottawa and I hope as mentioned earlier he doesn't cream one of our young guys. He will likely put Lupul on the IR again, but we are used to that aren't we.

 

[mcleex]

I appreciated the one time his slap shot hit the net for every 20 shots he took

 

[Mugzy97]

It'll be refreshing for him to get rid of the C in the biggest hockey market. He was under a lot of pressure and now he can go player hockey with some all star defense. Good luck to him.

 

[Terrible GM]

He was such great team player. Happy with the trade but sad to see Dion go. He brought it every game.

 

[LeafsMonster]

Really seemed like a great person, loved by fans who met him in person, loved by his teammates and respected in the locker room.
He has been good in a lot of the time he was here, just a mix of a bad roster, bad coaching, just bad timing. All the best to him in ottawa!

 

[slozo]

Sigh. It's like breaking up with a girlfriend . . . you'll remember the good things, you'll remember the bad things, and it's hard to choose which ones to put ahead of the other.

You were a solid captain, a true pro who played through pain and injury and gave it your all every game. You brought physicality, occasionally an amazing performance, and were a steady rock.

You also steered the ship that went into epic collapses, and decided to instigate/allow (unconfirmed) the whole no-salute fiasco that was an unnecessary and ridiculous snub at the most loyal fans in the entire NHL. That was just hard to stomach, and it's why no matter what else you bring, we had to break up. Sorry, I mean, ah . . . get rid of you.

Good bye.

 

[zeke]

Nothing but respect for Dion.

And he's a perfect addition for Ottawa - he'll be a very nice upgrade for them as a #2/3 guy in all situations.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Honestly, was never bummed out that he was here, but it was like the Idiots in Charge set him up to fail.

Shoving the Captaincy on him way too soon (and honestly, shouldn't have had it at all)
Signing him in the middle of a season for 7x7 (too much for too long, even if at market value at the time, should have waited).

he was set up to fail, but he always did the best he could, so keep Dion'ing in Sensland.

 

[TorontoTrades]

Not many guys could handle the **** he put up with.. I think he gets a lot of sympathy around the league and rightfully so.

Hope he can just focus on hockey now and everyone can move on.

I still remember when they traded for him, I was so happy.

Thanks for the blood sweat and tears Dion, You never quit on this team when you could have a thousand times.

 

[Purity*]

Not many guys could handle the **** he put up with.. I think he gets a lot of sympathy around the league and rightfully so.

Hope he can just focus on hockey now and everyone can move on.

I still remember when they traded for him, I was so happy.

Thanks for the blood sweat and tears Dion, You never quit on this team when you could have a thousand times.

Except when the latter half of the season comes and the Leafs are in a playoff spot.

That's when Phaneuf played his worst hockey

 

[BackHandShelf22]

Wish him the best. Respectable, did alot in the community. His salary/age just wasn't a good mix with the current management/players.

Honestly hope he makes the Sens better. (except for games he plays the leafs)

 

[SEER]

Alright. We know his contract, we know the moments of brain dead-ness

However, Phaneuf was a leader, he was a straight up guy, and a damn good player for us.

Wish him all the best. Just don't catch Marner or Nylander with their heads down please.

Agree with everything here, Cor...

GOODBYE..! THANK YOU..! FAREWELL..! AMEN..!!

Hits & Slaps: Dion Phaneuf Montage - TML 2015-16

 

[saltming]

Later skater!
It was. Love hate relationship, but I was never a hater. Ottawa just aquired a good player.
Ciao whipping boy, you and EK are going to terrorize goalies for a few years coming.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Sure Dion has his problems.

His point shot couldn't hit a soccer net.

He has his lapses in the neutral and defensive zones from time to time.

The offense has all but vanished.

He's getting slower by the year.

He was clearly out of his depth as captain.

He has all-world physical tools but thinks the game worse than some Peewee players do.

...

Not sad but not happy to see him go - we all knew this was coming sometime.

Given how he put up with all the ******** here with nothing but tact and class, it's hard for me to hate. He deserves a much warmer reception than Kessel does - if he gets it, that's another question.

I think this - not being 'the guy', getting insulated, having a guy ahead of him and his role being minimized (Dion is best playing about 20 minutes a game, not 24+ like he had been during the Burke era). He'll bounce back as a solid - if unspectacular #3 guy who can put up 30 points a year and adds some physicality to that Ottawa blueline and can eat valuable minutes to allow EK to get a bit more rest.

In the future I see Mitch Marner absolutely terrorizing him.

 

[Guy Boucher]

Good player who was largely misused here.

Then given way too much term, given the depreciation of players in today's NHL. Given his deteriorating cap space, moving him was absolutely necessary.

 

[TorontoTrades]

Except when the latter half of the season comes and the Leafs are in a playoff spot.

That's when Phaneuf played his worst hockey

There's a difference between playing poorly and quitting.


Dion had stretches where he played bad but I never once thought he quit.

 

[BonMorrison]

Gonna miss Dion.

Go to the TML FB page for the lawls. Some of the comments doe..

 

[Dustin]

I thought this was an appreciation thread? Some of the comments don't really fit that criteria.

Will miss his slapper from the point. Like Kessel, it's a real shame we couldn't surround these guys with some more talent.

 

[jmart21]

I feel really bad for him. He put up with ALOT of BS during his time here and took it like a true pro. It seemed like he was finally starting to get some appreciation from the media and fans with the arrival of Babcock and he was really doing well under the new coach. Then boom, it ends.

A true pro, and a great community guy. Can't say anything but great things about Dion. Good Luck.