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Alex
PickupHockey All-Star
Canada
2816 Posts |
 Posted - 06/12/2010 : 20:09:05
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Poll Question:
The Leafs are expected to name Dion Phanuef as the 17th captain in franchise history next week. Is this the right move?
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Deaner
Rookie
Canada
107 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 05:14:00
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| Yup. Good for the team, good for Dion |
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n/a
deleted
4809 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 11:27:34
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A marginal yes.
Myself, I would have thought they do this after Phaneuf maybe has a solid pre-season or even a month of play . . . but I think the message here from Burke to Phaneuf is, "this is your team", and he wants to give him a shot of confidence - not a bad play, IMHO. But it is one with a bit of risk, and like I said, I personally would have liked to see him get his feet wet potentially without Kaberle around if he is dealt this summer. So in the end, Phaneuf will have a bit more pressure on top of coming to the pressure cooker of Toronto (and fans expecting a lot more of him than the last two seasons), but a big vote of confidence, knowing that it's his team to lead to the promised land.
So yeah, it's an ok call I guess . . . hopefully the added pressure makes him take this season to a new level.
"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug |
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Beans15
Moderator
Canada
8286 Posts |
Posted - 06/14/2010 : 15:34:41
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Agreed Slozo. If this team is to build that "Burke Identity" than Phaneuf is the right guy for the job. But TO is tough place to play. It wasn't that long ago that many of the TO media Brethren were discussing the Phaneuf deal the the lack of scoring from the $7 million man. Now, he is the saviour Captain??
Don't be surprised to see Phaneuf thrown under the bus early next season if there is a limited success. Rightly or wrongly.
However, he is the best they got for the job today. Unless those rumors of him being garbage in the dressing room in Calgary are true. If that is the case............. |
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Matt_Roberts85
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
936 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2010 : 08:34:53
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Dion Phaneuf is the right choice for captain.
He is exactly what Burke wants his team to play like. Tough, Hard, Physical, Skilled, Determined and Proud.
People cant expect him to be the 'saviour" in the sense that, he is going to carry them to the cup all by himself. Thats just stupid. What they can expect is for him to be a big part of re-establishing an identity for this team and to help solidify the blue line for a long time to come.
Alot has been said out of Calgary, Dion is this, Dion is that, but I think fans put to much stock into these stories. Burke was on the radio here in T.O. yesterday addressing those rumours out of Calgary. Dion is an alpha male, he challenged the leadership group in Calgary (Iginla, Regyher) and they didnt appreciate it to much. Sutter spent more money on Bouwmeester (hahahaha) than he did on phaneuf and the team was struggling to score goals. So there you have the perfect storm for a big trade, and with Dion stepping on toes in the locker room, he gets shipped out for a bag of pucks.
Enter Toronto. Here, he is the alpha male. This is a young team who was in desperate need of a confidence boost and a leader. In calgary there were already vets and leaders, which is why I dont forsee any of those problems carrying over. Various reports also suggest that being traded humbled Dion a bit and that now he is 24 and getting a little older he is more mature now and is ready to take on a task like this.
Its not easy for anyone to be the captain of the toronto maple leafs, cause you take alot of the heat. when things dont go well, but every person who has ever worn the C has excelled in the position. I dont expect him to win the norris next year, or at all really, what I do expect is for him to go out there every single night and play his ass off. To work hard in the gym, to show the young guys on the team that it takes Hard work and dedication to excel in this league and I fully beleive he can do that.
I think we will all see an improved Dion Phaneuf come october, which will also coincide with an improved Leaf team.
maybe s*** hits the fan and this is the worst decision they could have made, but I highly doubt it.
There is no "I" in team, but there is an "M" and an "E". |
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leafsfan_101
PickupHockey Veteran
Canada
1530 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2010 : 16:00:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Beans15
Agreed Slozo. If this team is to build that "Burke Identity" than Phaneuf is the right guy for the job. But TO is tough place to play. It wasn't that long ago that many of the TO media Brethren were discussing the Phaneuf deal the the lack of scoring from the $7 million man. Now, he is the saviour Captain??
Don't be surprised to see Phaneuf thrown under the bus early next season if there is a limited success. Rightly or wrongly.
However, he is the best they got for the job today. Unless those rumors of him being garbage in the dressing room in Calgary are true. If that is the case.............
Big YES from me!!!
Beans, I've actually heard something about that dressing room fiasco in Calgary that should excite some Leafs fans. Burke was on the Fan 590 a few days ago and talked about the situation in Calgary with Phaneuf. Apparently, Phaneuf was to loud in the dressing room, and he voiced his opinions to much. He was said to call out certain players and was very critical of the Flames work ethic, even calling out Iginla at times. The Flames did not like this, which was why he evidently fell out with the organization.
This is backed up by similar stories of when he first came to Toronto. Both Luke Schenn and Brian Burke said that he was very critical of the team when he came, and he lit a fire under that team once he got here, hence the better winning record when he came. The players seem to have a lot of respect for him, since Beauchemin and Schenn have publicly said they want him as their captain. I'm sure most of the other players agree.
I'm really excited to have him as our captain. He needs some better media prescence, but that will come with experience. The bottom line is that he will get this team to perform, and if you are not performing he will let you know. If what Burke says is true, and that is really the reason, then isn't that what you want from your captain, someon who will let you know when you need to be better. Furthermore, it will give him a lot of responsibility. This will no doubt impact his game, as he will need to prove to everyone that he is an elite player, and hopefully that will translate into us seeing the Dion Phaneuf everyone fell in love with when he started out in Calgary.
Slozo, Phaneuf has already gotten his feet wet with his 26 game stint with the club last season. He's played solid then, the players respect him, and he is ready for the responsibility.
He is the perfect choice for choice for captain, and I am confident that with him at the helm the Leafs will begin to turn it around.
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Edited by - leafsfan_101 on 06/16/2010 16:05:23 |
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Rambo2305
PickupHockey Pro
Canada
546 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2010 : 07:03:53
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As Burke said, he adds a dimension to this team that it was missing before. He talks, alot, sometimes too much, but he keeps the room loose. Also, he saw how the Captain's role is supposed to be handled by arguably one of the best Captain's ever in Jerome Iginla.
He's the type of guy that will take it upon himself to look out and stand up for his team, especially with the "C" on his jersey. We haven't had a player like that since Clarkie, maybe Tucker or Domi, but definitely not like Clark.
I look for the Dion chants at the ACC this year and will definitely have to split wearing time between my Sundin and Phaneuf jersey. Also, like I stated in the topic forum about how good he is, he WILL develop into one of the premiere d-men in the league, and truly solidify the Leafs D, and leave no doubt when it comes to him being Captain of the most loved, and most hated, Toronto Maple Leafs...
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Deaner
Rookie
Canada
107 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2010 : 15:35:27
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| agreed rambo, i can't wait til next season to see how much the leafs turn it around with dion as captain. I expect to hear Dion chants for the first while and i also expect to see him in a few scraps when his team needsa boost of energy. |
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Leafs name Phaneuf captain 
