Ronald Neal
Contributor
Whether you like the man or not, you have to admit it: Dion Phaneuf has swagger.
If you keep your eyes open, you just might catch a glimpse of the six-foot-three 214-pound hockey player here in Toronto, strutting around with the same confidence he consistently exudes on-ice. He is the walking, talking definition of what Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke calls “pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence” and he reminds us every time we see him at the rink. What makes Phaneuf an excellent example of Canadian athleticism, though, is not his swagger or his ability to excite, but his ability to persevere and overcome, making him a Canadian icon and a hero to many.
Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, Phaneuf was recognized as a force early on. The son of an industrious, middle-class family, he learned from an early age the importance of hard work and dedication. His humble background inevitably lead him to early success on the rink, and he quickly found himself rising through the ranks of the minor hockey league world on his way to playing as a professional.
If you’re like most people, you first heard of Phaneuf when he played with team Canada at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In many local circles, he’d already made a name for himself as a member of the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, but it was not until he donned the red and white that he truly entered the Canadian consciousness. Along with Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron, who’d already been welcomed into the hearts of many Canadians, Phaneuf persevered in making a name for himself in the hockey world.
Phaneuf put his success to work and joined the Calgary Flames: his rookie season was outstanding, marking one of the best records for a first-year defensive player in the league. Phaneuf backed up that reputation by joining the National Hockey League (NHL) all-star team in 2006-2007; he became a finalist for many awards, including the Norris and Calder trophies.
Only later would Phaneuf have to overcome the obstacles through which the NHL puts all of its players, the space where mistakes are not easily forgiven and reputations crumble the second you fall into a drought. His numbers were falling and his productivity failing, and there was the added pressure of performing under the weight of a lengthy and lucrative six-year $39 million contract extension he’d signed mid-way through the 2007-2008 NHL season. With one stroke of the pen, he became a casualty of the new NHL rules as high salaries and low production inevitably led to professional problems.
His personal life was also scrutinized as bad press surrounded his well-known relationship with Hollywood starlet Elisha Cuthbert. To be fair, much of the negative press involved Cuthbert’s ex and fellow NHL hockey player Sean Avery, who dissed Phaneuf’s by referring to Cuthbert as “sloppy seconds,” a comment NHL commisioner Gary Bettman called “disgusting”.
As pressure built for Phaneuf, it appeared his career was over before it had even really started. He suddenly became expendable: his absence from team Canada in Vancouver 2010 was barely noticed, though it was tough for Phaneuf to go through.
All is not lost for Phaneuf though, as he is now the respected captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though the team may struggle to make it to the playoffs, it has the full support of fans waiting for a triumphant underdog story. Time will tell how this next chapter in Phaneuf’s career will play out, but the fact that we are still hoping is enough. He truly is a great Canadian athlete.
- (Wikimedia)
