By Jon Hagan Momentum equals mass times velocity. When each variable is big enough it can pack quite a wallop. At 6'2, 215 lbs, Dion Phaneuf has the mass, and if you saw his shorthanded end-to-end goal against the Wild last March you know he's got the wheels. So do the physics hold up? Yup. Just ask Denis Hamel, formally of the Ottawa Senators. In what looks like a comedy sketch where a person about to be thrown from a roof is replaced by a mannequin that obviously weighs a fraction of what a person weighs, the 6'2, 200 lbs Hamel is thrown head over heels into the air as he runs into Phaneuf's shoulder. And if the YouTube footage of the hit isn't enough to convince you, just consider that in an informal poll conducted by ESPN as part of their coverage of the 2006-2007 All Star break, 43 percent of the 141 NHL players polled considered Phaneuf the hardest hitter in the NHL. That's a decent sample size all saying the same thing: when Phaneuf hits you, you know it.
Hamel is thrown head over heels into the air as he runs into Phaneuf's
For starters, he's disciplined. The NHL has changed so much over the last few years in terms of players maintaining an exemplary level of fitness even during the off-season, but what about diet during all of the road games a team plays in a year? Eating in restaurants all of the time must present a challenge to healthy eating. “It's relatively easy,” says Phaneuf. “You know where to go to eat because it's healthy, and you know what you like to eat before games, so it's all about making good decisions about where youʼre eating and what you're eating and taking care of your body.” It's also about hard work. “I train everyday – except on Sundays in the summer,” he adds. “You've got to come to camp in very, very good shape. If you don't you fall behind.” And you just need to compare him to other defencemen in the '03 draft class to see that falling behind is the last thing he's done in his young career. In fact, even with all of the success that Shea Weber is having this year with Nashville, Phaneuf is leading the pack by a longshot. A simple comparison shows that up to this point, no other defenceman drafted in 2003 has even come close to achieving the same level of consistency as Calgary's number three.
Hitmen Photo by
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shoulder.
But hitting is only one aspect of the level of play that he brings to the table. And most impressive is that he's only 23 years old. So what's a guy that hits like a train do to get that good?
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Photo courtesy of Gerry Thomas / Calgary Flames Hockey Club
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In all eight rounds of the 2003 draft a total of 84 defenceman were chosen. Of these, only 16 have played in at least 82 games since being drafted (At the time of writing, Phaneuf has played in 243 games – only Brent Burns at 267 has played more); four have at least 20 goals (Phaneuf has 54 – Burns is second with 27); 10 have at least 30 assists (Dion has 105 – Brent Seabrook is next with 70); eight have at least 40 points (Phaneuf has 159 – Burns is a distant second with 90 points); and, according to the Flames website, Phaneuf has managed 594 hits over his 243 game career. That's, on average, twice as many hits per game than Burns.
for the Alberta Children's Hospital, Phaneuf says he is deeply honoured to fill the role. “You know we feel very fortunate to go into the Children's Hospital and to be able to make a kid smile.” And with Dion and the Flames involved in everything from radiothons to wheelchair floor hockey, they're working hard to keep the smiles coming.
Finally, Dion is the type of player that will take chances to make a play or lay a huge hit, and sometimes he'll slip up, but the difference for him is that mistakes are learning opportunities. “I think you should play the game without worrying about making mistakes,” he says. “Mistakes will happen, but if they're honest, hard-working mistakes you can correct them.” However, he's quick to say that not all mistakes are equal and that while all deserve attention some can cause more problems than others. “You're not going to get questioned about honest, hard working mistakes,” he adds, but “if you make mistakes that are mental, that's when the problems come in.”
And moving forward is something that Dion Phaneuf will continue to do in all aspects of his game, and in a week that saw Shawn Avery receive a suspension for an offensive statement he made to the media prior to a game against Calgary, Phaneuf made a savory offensive statement of his own by assisting on all four Flames goals against the Blues three days later. Now, just after the first week of the new year, Phaneuf is sixth in Flames scoring and is tied for fourth overall in the NHL for assists by a defenseman.
The expression “going south” usually has negative connotations, but in the case of Phaneuf's hockey career it's quite literal. Growing up in Edmonton, Dion was (dare I say it?) an Oiler fan. Eventually he was drafted by the Red Deer Rebels and his southbound migration began. In 2003 the Calgary Flames made him their first pick ninth overall. And even though loyalty to a player can at times be a fickle thing when you're a fan, when you're family it's steadfast. “When I was drafted in Nashville, Tennessee, everybody switched over real quick,” he says of all of his family members. After switching sides, Phaneuf became an anchor, not just for the Flames, but for the community as well. So much so, that the hockey club awarded him the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award last March. This award is given to the Flames player who best exemplifies dedication to community service, among other things. “It's a huge honour,” says Phaneuf of the recognition. “But you don't do the things in the community you do for awards,” he says. “But when you're presented with something that special it means a lot to me.” Currently working as the Flames ambassador
With half the season under their belts and the team currently sitting atop the Northwest division, Phaneuf is quick to note that the changes made to the team in the off-season have worked well not just on the ice, but in the locker room too. “The acquisitions we've made in the off-season have been real good ones,” he says. “They're all real good guys, and they've really fit in well.” What about coaching? The team has had three coaches over the past four years. How does this affect the dynamic? “Whether it's coaching or players, there are always changes made . . . but having Mike [Keenan] now, a very experienced coach, he's come in and done a real good job of teaching us from his experiences,” says Phaneuf. “We definitely didn't finish the way we wanted to last year, but you have to learn from that and move forward.”
After the interview, we had a bit of fun by asking Dion a few questions with the only stipulation being that he doesn't take too long to think about his answers. Here's what he had to say: Aside from winning a Stanley Cup what would you most like to accomplish in your career? “Win a Norris Trophy.”
Most memorable hit? You guessed it. “Denis Hamel of the Ottawa Senators”
Hockey at the NHL level, is it instinct or intellect? “Instinct”
Favourite rink to play at on the road? “Edmonton” Toughest player to play against? “There's a lot of them. There's so many great players in the league.” Care to name one? “Nope” Most memorable minor hockey tournament? “The Brick Tournament is the one that sticks out for me. We won that tournament and it was pretty special. I remember that from my minor hockey days.”
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