Sportsnet: Phaneuf: I was too emotional to talk to the media

[DaveT83*]

Ownership doesn't hold him accountable
Management doesn't hold him accountable
Coach doesn't hold him accountable
The majority of fans don't hold him accountable.
Not even THE MEDIA is allowed to ...


So why the **** would he hold himself?

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

So him giving a post-game interview and saying - we didn’t play hard enough, we made costly mistakes, we know we have to get going here, there are no excuses for the way we’re playing - would have honestly made a difference?

There are a lot of things he could have done differently. He could have talked to media, man up, admit he and the team struggle right now bla bla bla. Or if he could have closed the door for the media to protect the whole team. But he choose to avoid the reporters and let his team mates answer the questions instead. Even an emotional Dion dropping f bombs would have been better. But in stead he calls in to a radio show and give some lame ass excuses.

IF we are to get the best out of him the team needs to become extremely structured. The forwards need to help out a hell of a lot more then they currently do. No more run and gun. No long stretch passes. No more being trapped in our own zone chasing the puck.
Dions hockey IQ is below average, at least compared to other top defenders and his skating is becoming average. But he still have a lot of good tools but to utilize them the coach have to run a system that does not expose his weaknesses.

And he need to get his aggressiveness back. Other players have lost the respect for him. He does not seem to be a popular guy but I dont care about that, I really dont. I rather they were afraid of him.

Taking liberties with him or another guy on the team should have consequences, it should hurt. But he has lost that part of his game. The big hits gets fewer every year, he rarely fights and even do he takes a lot of penalties it is because he cant keep up. I would not be against him having a lot of penalties if it meant he actually did some damage getting them. He need to be nasty to be effective.

 

[Mr Shanahan]

Question for everyone, how many big market NHL teams have you captained? Is Sid Seixeiro a former coach in the league?

For those ripping on Phaneuf, what the **** do you know?

 

[DaveT83*]

Question for everyone, how many big market NHL teams have you captained? Is Sid Seixeiro a former coach in the league?

For those ripping on Phaneuf, what the **** do you know?

All we know are the results - I don't 'need to restate them do I? Look up the Leafs record with Dion leading the way.

What do you know? Tell me something thats based in reality - and on the facts that would suggest he is a good Captain?


You don't have anything. Not a single straw to grasp.

I have facts. Solid evidence that suggests he's doing a Horrible job.
I couldn't tell you who would be able to do a better job - but I can tell you that its worth giving someone else a look at the very least.

 

[ECanuck]

Question for everyone, how many big market NHL teams have you captained? Is Sid Seixeiro a former coach in the league?

For those ripping on Phaneuf, what the **** do you know?

I don't know about big markets or NHL. But I can assure you there is no way in hell I'll be backes' *****.

 

[Dreakmur]

Question for everyone, how many big market NHL teams have you captained? Is Sid Seixeiro a former coach in the league?

For those ripping on Phaneuf, what the **** do you know?

I know leadership traits, and I know Dion shows very few of them.

 

[Parkdale]

Question for everyone, how many big market NHL teams have you captained? Is Sid Seixeiro a former coach in the league?

For those ripping on Phaneuf, what the **** do you know?

Explain why you think Sid was off-base or wrong to call out Phaneuf. What do you think of Phaneuf's answers to Sid? What should he have said to Sid instead?

 

[yubbers]

All we know are the results - I don't 'need to restate them do I? Look up the Leafs record with Dion leading the way.

What do you know? Tell me something thats based in reality - and on the facts that would suggest he is a good Captain?


You don't have anything. Not a single straw to grasp.

I have facts. Solid evidence that suggests he's doing a Horrible job.
I couldn't tell you who would be able to do a better job - but I can tell you that its worth giving someone else a look at the very least.

 

[rustysvetz]

I have facts. Solid evidence that suggests he's doing a Horrible job.

Curious. What facts? He's got nothing apparently but outside of the Leafs not winning a cup while he has been captain what facts are there?

I won't argue against the lack of results but it is a team game afterall.

 

[Snow Dog]

All we know are the results - I don't 'need to restate them do I? Look up the Leafs record with Dion leading the way.

What do you know? Tell me something thats based in reality - and on the facts that would suggest he is a good Captain?


You don't have anything. Not a single straw to grasp.

I have facts. Solid evidence that suggests he's doing a Horrible job.
I couldn't tell you who would be able to do a better job - but I can tell you that its worth giving someone else a look at the very least.

I really don't have time to look up stats.but,I'd say the team is around 500 with Dion as the "C".Look around the league,there are a lot of middle of the pack teams with a "C" that has been there long term.The team is pissed at RC and it is now showing.

 

[Mr Shanahan]

All we know are the results - I don't 'need to restate them do I? Look up the Leafs record with Dion leading the way.

What do you know? Tell me something thats based in reality - and on the facts that would suggest he is a good Captain?


You don't have anything. Not a single straw to grasp.

I have facts. Solid evidence that suggests he's doing a Horrible job.
I couldn't tell you who would be able to do a better job - but I can tell you that its worth giving someone else a look at the very least.

What is really happening here is that the average hockey fan is attempting to quantify what it means to be a 'good' captain in the NHL. There is no factual way to do such a thing, no matter what your facts are, unless players on the team have come out to the media and blurted it out in an interview.

The team's record with Phaneuf as captain has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with how 'good' of a captain he is, and now it is on YOU to show me why it has anything to do with it.. You may have heard of the phrase "Innocent until proven guilty".

What does an 86.5 point-pace with a Game 7 appearance vs the Boston Bruins over four years have to do with his captaining ability (or lack thereof)?

Other players that have been around for the Leafs' three collapses:

Bozak
Franson
Gardiner
Gunnarsson
Kadri
Kessel
Kulemin
Lupul
Reimer

AKA what most Leaf fans name as our 'core', give or take a couple players on that list. Maybe they're the problem? Maybe the coach is the problem? Maybe none of us have a CLUE as to how a team in the NHL is run, and we should leave it to no more than speculation on this hockey forum.

Your whole post is just your opinion; what makes you think that you know how good or bad of a captain Dion is? Some of you people are ridiculous, and are the main reasons why hockey fans think less of our team.

Does anyone even care about what Henrik Sedin said about his team when the Canucks lost Game 7? Traded Schneider? Lost 7 straight? Traded Luongo? Of course not. Only in hockey's biggest market is someone ridiculed for NOT speaking.

I don't know about big markets or NHL. But I can assure you there is no way in hell I'll be backes' *****.

Not even worth it....

 

[achtungbaby]

I really don't have time to look up stats.but,I'd say the team is around 500 with Dion as the "C".Look around the league,there are a lot of middle of the pack teams with a "C" that has been there long term.The team is pissed at RC and it is now showing.

A 500 record then? Good enough?

 

[Diatomic]

Phaneuf is a bad captain

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

What is really happening here is that the average hockey fan is attempting to quantify what it means to be a 'good' captain in the NHL. There is no factual way to do such a thing, no matter what your facts are, unless players on the team have come out to the media and blurted it out in an interview.

The team's record with Phaneuf as captain has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO with how 'good' of a captain he is, and now it is on YOU to show me why it has anything to do with it.. You may have heard of the phrase "Innocent until proven guilty".

What does an 86.5 point-pace with a Game 7 appearance vs the Boston Bruins over four years have to do with his captaining ability (or lack thereof)?

Other players that have been around for the Leafs' three collapses:

Bozak
Franson
Gardiner
Gunnarsson
Kadri
Kessel
Kulemin
Lupul
Reimer

AKA what most Leaf fans name as our 'core', give or take a couple players on that list. Maybe they're the problem? Maybe the coach is the problem? Maybe none of us have a CLUE as to how a team in the NHL is run, and we should leave it to no more than speculation on this hockey forum.

Your whole post is just your opinion; what makes you think that you know how good or bad of a captain Dion is? Some of you people are ridiculous, and are the main reasons why hockey fans think less of our team.

Does anyone even care about what Henrik Sedin said about his team when the Canucks lost Game 7? Traded Schneider? Lost 7 straight? Traded Luongo? Of course not. Only in hockey's biggest market is someone ridiculed for NOT speaking.



Not even worth it....

On your list there Kadri and Gardiner gets a pass, they are to young.
No one can really blame Kulemin or Gunnarsson. They are solid and even do the offense is not there, they are not offense first guys either.
Kessel is not a leader but sure, he could have done more. But he is the reason we are in the hunt for a playoff spot in the first place.
Bernier, see Kessel.
Franson, well he certainly is not helping with his constant poor decision making,
Bozak could be better. I see him as first of all a 2-way player but some times he lose that aspect of his game and he is not good enough offensively to be forgiven for it.
Lupol at least try and work hard. He is pretty weak in his own zone but he at least put in an effort.
Reimer, not as bad as people say he is but certainly not as good as he thinks he is, just ok.


Henrik after the Canucks lost the final after a game when he did not score.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=118323

 

[Felstead]

Call me crazy but this just might be the perfect thing to happen to him.

If he was emotional and did not want to speak it was because he felt bed, let the team and fans down with his play. That to me speaks of someone who actually gives a **** of whats going on. Now I will admit though we really haven't seen that kind of side from Phaneuf, its an encouraging sign to see going forward.

 

[Mr Shanahan]

Explain why you think Sid was off-base or wrong to call out Phaneuf. What do you think of Phaneuf's answers to Sid? What should he have said to Sid instead?

Not off base for Sid to call out Phaneuf, many people are doing it. But you saw the rant, that which I do not agree with.

Maple Leaf captain post-blowout at home extending his team's losing streak to SIX is not in his comfort zone. Toronto sports reporter sitting at his mic at the table with his cup of water, blurting out words that he knows everybody in the city will hear on the radio is in his comfort zone.

Who will look better?

Let's change it up a bit. Let's say Phaneuf does the interview. Let's say that Phaneuf comes out and speaks off of his usual script, answers questions very briefly, exits interview after a couple short minutes. Is anything really that much better? And adding to that, what are the chances that the Toronto media start a ruckus about how Phaneuf should be more genuine in his interviews, and then yuppers and DaveT come here to tell us how they wouldn't "read off of the script".

So say that Phaneuf does the interview. Let's say that Phaneuf speaks to the media about how he feels about the game, not necessarily answering questions. Phaneuf uses the words "I'm not going to say that the game was embarrassing, because we're not embarrassed in here" (Taylor Hall, post 8-1 home loss). What do you think people say then? "OMG HOW COULD YOU NOT BE EMBARRASSED WE'RE ON A SIX GAME LOSING STREAK FIRE PHANEUF!!"

I think that all this hooplah is completely useless because no matter WHAT Phaneuf did or did not say after the game that night, there would have been a story on in the next morning on the front page of the Star.

 

[ryno23]

This is only a big deal cause its Toronto. This wouldn't be headline news if it was another city but say Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary.

So what he didn't talk to the media. He had a piss poor game and everyone knew it. So why the need for him to talk about it so fans can hear him apologize self satisfaction for people who haven't the slightest clue what a pro athlete has to face.

Imagine you work in sales and lost a key million dollar account do you have to go on national TV in front of millions to talk about it? Hell no so why is it any different?

I am friends with a former leaf who played during the late 90's and he said Toronto was the best place to play hockey wise with the fans but it was the media that he hated and was glad he got away. The media in Toronto is all about trying to stir **** up to sell newspapers or make for good TV. He played in another big city and said it was nothing like Toronto. He talks about guys saying they didn't want to sign in Toronto cause of the media.

 

[Mr Shanahan]

Call me crazy but this just might be the perfect thing to happen to him.

If he was emotional and did not want to speak it was because he felt bed, let the team and fans down with his play. That to me speaks of someone who actually gives a **** of whats going on. Now I will admit though we really haven't seen that kind of side from Phaneuf, its an encouraging sign to see going forward.

If he didn't care about his job as a captain, he would have given his generic answers to their questions, and people would be complaining about him just telling people what they want to hear.

 

[yubbers]

You guys are hysterical

 

[TMLeafer]

Dion's out there after every game. I can't say he hides from the media, so I can get over Tuesday.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Dion's importance to this team, he has not played well of late, partly because he's banged up and yes, he needs to play better so that is not an excuse, but perhaps a reason.

We have not won in 6 games. That's his importance to this team.

I keep reading Gardiner is playing well and he has been our best defenceman of late. The facts are We haven't won since people have claimed Gardiner has been our best defenceman. That's the problem when your 4th or 5th best D man is apparently your best defenceman.

When Dion is playing well, and he is our best defenceman, then we will be much better off as a team. This is why he needs to start playing better, and why this team needs him.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Bryan Hayes said it best - maybe Dion coming out and talking when he was emotional would have been the best thing for him/image [though I doubt it because people are determined not to like him regardless]. just show us that he really cares.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Bryan Hayes said it best - maybe Dion coming out and talking when he was emotional would have been the best thing for him/image [though I doubt it because people are determined not to like him regardless]. just show us that he really cares.

When Dion is truly our best defenceman, and he has a good game, I can almost guarantee we will win.

If someone posts one of our 2nd or 3rd pairing D men was our best D man tonight, I will be worried if it is not Gunnar and or especially Dion.

 

[Mr Shanahan]

Dion's importance to this team, he has not played well of late, partly because he's banged up and yes, he needs to play better so that is not an excuse, but perhaps a reason.

We have not won in 6 games. That's his importance to this team.

I keep reading Gardiner is playing well and he has been our best defenceman of late. The facts are We haven't won since people have claimed Gardiner has been our best defenceman. That's the problem when your 4th or 5th best D man is apparently your best defenceman.

When Dion is playing well, and he is our best defenceman, then we will be much better off as a team. This is why he needs to start playing better, and why this team needs him.

Lol.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Lol.

You think our chances of winning are better if let me pick one, Paul Ranger is our best defenceman in Philly tomorrow?