GARRIOCH: Dion Phaneuf wasn’t with the Ottawa Senators for long, but he had a huge impact

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Dion Phaneuf officially hung up his skates on Tuesday.

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The news, which was first delivered by Postmedia columnist Steve Simmons to those who receive the newspaper in the morning, was not unexpected, but it was an opportunity to celebrate the career of a defender who dressed for 14 seasons and 1,048 games in his career.

Phaneuf, 36, did not play during last year’s 56-game season that was shortened by the global pandemic, but waited until the 2021-22 season began because he had to come to terms that he had adapted. for his last league game.

Phaneuf, a No. 9 overall pick in the 2003 entry draft, began his career with the Calgary Flames. He was then traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2010, before being traded to the Senators in February 2016. He closed his career with the Los Angeles Kings after spending part of two seasons in Ottawa.

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He is one of the few players who can say that he has seen the Battle of Ontario from both sides.

As captain of the Leafs from 2011 until he was traded to the Senators, back then anyone in Ottawa would have told you they had little use for Phaneuf because they didn’t like what he brought to the table. Somehow, sending the Captain of the Leafs to the archrival Senators just didn’t feel right in any way, shape, or form.

But within five minutes of his arrival in the Senators’ dressing room, that attitude completely changed.

Everyone quickly discovered that Phaneuf was a great person who treated everything that interacted with respect during the two seasons he spent with the Senators.

On the day of the Ottawa swap, Phaneuf flew to Detroit at the end of the day to join his new teammates. He had been with the Leafs on the road and was preparing to face the Flames when the exchange was completed. He headed to the Westin in Detroit and was down on game day when he joined tough winger Chris Neil for breakfast.

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The two had no shortage of battles over the years, but it wasn’t awkward at all.

“They had changed him to a new team, he had gotten up early and was excited when he went down to the hotel restaurant,” Neil said Tuesday from his home in Ottawa. “Usually I would get up early and I was the only one sitting there, so he asked if he could come with me and I said, ‘Sure, of course’ …

“It was one of those things where we got off to a great start. He was a great teammate when he was here with just his leadership qualities and what he brought from Toronto when he was there. He also learned a lot throughout his career, so when you bring in an older player like Dion at the time, it helps with the leadership role.

“It was incredible”.

Let’s be honest, there were a lot of people in Ottawa who couldn’t stand Phaneuf due to misperceptions.

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“I don’t think, for the most part, a lot of the guys had a lot of respect for Dion,” Neil said. “In the locker room, he was one of those guys you hated to play against because you knew he was going to play hard every night and you saw him in practice. He made the people around him better because of his work ethic. “

Phaneuf was acquired because the late Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray wanted a defender who could play in the club’s top four. The Leafs wanted to get the salary out of the books and they were looking to change the dynamics in the room. Former Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello wanted to turn the page on that era in Toronto.

There is no doubt that Phaneuf was part of something special here. He met with his former Leafs teammate Clarke MacArthur in Ottawa. They are not just close friends, they are also cousins ​​who have spent a lot of time together over the years, and their period as teammates in Ottawa surely has a special place in their memories.

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The following season, 2016-17, saw one of the most notable playoff races in franchise history when the Senators lost in Game 7 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern conference final.

Phaneuf scored the overtime win in Game 2 against the Boston Bruins in Ottawa to tie the first-round series at 1-1 as he returned to Beantown. Then in Game 6, MacArthur, returning after missing most of the season with post-concussion syndrome, scored the winner of overtime to move the Senators to Round 2 against the Rangers.

That was a magical moment for the organization, but when rebuilding began midway through the 2017-18 season, the decision was made to relocate the veterans. Phaneuf sat on the Ottawa bench for most of the first period on February 13, 2018 in Pittsburgh and discovered before the second period that he was heading to Los Angeles.

After finishing a post-game scrum that night at the PPG Paints Arena, Phaneuf shook hands and thanked all members of the Ottawa media along the way for the treatment he received while with the Senators.

Phaneuf was a first-rate professional during his career. That has not changed.

He deserved the opportunity to receive a proper sendoff, and that’s what he got from the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

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Twitter: sungarrioch