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Celine Dion Belong Eau de Toilette Spray By Celine Dion beauty2morrow.com | Student Project Reports - Cindy Dion cvahec.org | Success Stories Dion Reid flpt.net | Debbie Dion coloradoguidelines.org |
Dion Phaneuf (born April 10, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. He was drafted ninth overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Flames, and made his NHL debut in 2005 after a four year junior career with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League in which he was twice named the Defenceman of the Year. Known for his physical ability and powerful shot, Phaneuf is a two-time NHL All-Star. He has represented Canada internationally three times in his career, winning silver and gold medals at the World Junior Hockey Championship in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and a gold medal at the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships.
[edit] Early lifeDion Phaneuf was born April 10, 1985 in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the son of Paul, in construction, and Amber, a nurse.[1] He has a younger brother, Dane, who is a prospect of the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL).[2] Phaneuf's parents describe their family as being close-knit, as Phaneuf kept in close touch with his family as he embarked on his own junior career.[3] Phaneuf excelled at hockey from a young age and was focused on a career in the National Hockey League (NHL). His father built a backyard rink every winter that the young Phaneuf practiced on, developing both a powerful slapshot and an aggressive style from an early age. His mother, a former figure skater who competed for Prince Edward Island at the 1975 Canada Winter Games, taught him to skate.[1] Phaneuf also practiced his shot relentlessly in the basement of his family's home, frequently breaking the nets his father bought.[3] [edit] Playing career[edit] JuniorThe Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) selected Phaneuf in the third round of the 2000 WHL Bantam Draft.[4] One year later, he joined the Rebels for the 2001–02 WHL season and recorded 17 points in 67 games.[5] He added two assists in 21 games as the Rebels lost in the WHL final against the Kootenay Ice.[6] He improved to 16 goals and 30 points in 2002–03 as the Rebels again reached the WHL finals, again losing, this time to the Kelowna Rockets.[5][6] Phaneuf's development earned him comparisons to Hall of Famer Scott Stevens, as he was lauded by scouts for his physical style and ability to excel both defensively and offensively.[7] Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter valued Phaneuf so highly in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft that he attempted to trade up from his ninth overall selection in the draft to no avail.[8] Sutter was unable to complete a trade, but was still able to select Phaneuf with his first selection in the draft.[9] Phaneuf established himself as one of junior hockey's top players following the draft, improving to 42 points in 62 games,[5] and earning an the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the top defenceman in the WHL.[10] He was also named an Eastern Conference All-Star by the WHL, and a First Team All-Star by the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).[5] He was considered a candidate to join the Flames in 2004, however the 2004–05 NHL lockout forced Phaneuf to play one final year of junior hockey.[11] He scored 56 points in 55 games to finish his junior career with 146 points in his junior career.[5] He repeated as the WHL's defenceman of the year, and was again named to both WHL and CHL All-Star Teams.[5] Prospects Hockey rated Phaneuf as the top player in the CHL in both 2004 and 2005, ahead of Sidney Crosby, naming him one of the best junior defencemen of the previous decade.[12] [edit] ProfessionalPhaneuf joined the Flames for the 2005–06 NHL season after signing his first professional contract in September 2006.[13] He made his NHL debut on October 5, 2005 against the Minnesota Wild. Five nights later, he scored his first career goal, assist and points against the Colorado Avalanche. He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for November after leading all rookie defencemen with nine points and two game winning goals.[14] By January, Phaneuf was being named alongside Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin as a candidate for the NHL's top rookie.[15] He finished the season with 20 goals, only the third player in NHL history after Brian Leetch and Barry Beck to score 20 as a rookie defenceman.[16] His 20 goals also broke the Flames franchise record for goals by a rookie, surpassing Gary Suter's total of 18.[17] He was named a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie, but lost out to Ovechkin.[18] A 50 point sophomore season earned Phaneuf his first NHL All-Star Game appearance in 2006–07.[19] He participated in the hardest shot competition at the SuperSkills competition, losing to Zdeno Chara,[20] and scored a goal and an assist in the game itself to help the Western Conference defeat the East 12–9.[21] The Flames signed Phaneuf to a six-year, US$39 million contract extension midway through the 2007–08 season.[22] He responded by posting a career high 60 points,[5] and was voted into the starting lineup by the fans for the 2008 All-Star Game.[23] Phaneuf was named to the NHL First All-Star Team following the season,[24] and was a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as defenceman of the year,[25] losing to Niklas Lidstrom.[26] The 2008–09 season was a frustrating one for Phaneuf, as he recorded a career low 11 goals and 47 points,[5] and his poor plus/minus rating of −11 led fans to question his defensive commitment.[27] His poor season and high salary also led to speculation that Phaneuf might be traded.[28] In spite of his struggles, Phaneuf averaged 26 minutes and 31 seconds of ice time per game, fourth highest in the league.[27] He missed the final game of the Flames quarter-final series against the Chicago Blackhawks with broken ribs,[29] after battling a hip injury during the season.[30] Flames management defended Phaneuf, claiming that the injuries he battled affected his play.[31] [edit] International
 Phaneuf made his international debut for the Canadian junior team at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Helsinki, Finland, earning a leadership role under head coach Mario Durocher.[32] A devastating bodycheck to the Czech Republic's Rostislav Olesz led the referee to eject Phaneuf from the semi-final game, however he escaped suspension and was permitted to play in the gold medal game.[33] The Canadians lost the final to the United States,[34] while Phaneuf was named a tournament all-star at defence.[35] The Canadian team at the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships dominated the tournament, outscoring their opposition 35–6 in the games leading up to the gold medal match-up with Russia.[36] Phaneuf scored a goal and threw a memorable bodycheck that knocked down two Russian players in the championship game as Canada routed the Russians 6–1 to win their first gold medal in eight years.[37][38] He was again named a tournament all-star,[35] as well as being named the outstanding defenceman of the tournament.[37] He was described as one of the most intimidating players of the tournament for a Canadian team that has been called the greatest of all-time.[39][40] Following the Flames elimination in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Phaneuf joined the Canadian senior team at the 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in Moscow.[41] He recorded eight assists in seven games to help Canada win the gold medal over Finland.[42] Once considered a virtual lock to join team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics,[43] Phaneuf's struggles in the 2008–09 NHL season placed his candidacy in doubt. National team General Manager Steve Yzerman continued to express confidence in Phaneuf during a summer camp held in Calgary.[44] [edit] Off the icePhaneuf has maintained a much publicized relationship with actress Elisha Cuthbert, and the pair frequently participate in charitable events in Calgary.[45] Their relationship became the centre of controversy when Dallas Stars forward Sean Avery, a former boyfriend of Cuthbert, commented on how other NHL players, referring to Phaneuf, fell in love with his "sloppy seconds".[46] Commissioner Gary Bettman referred the the remarks as "disgusting" and suspended Avery six games, while the Stars cut ties with the player.[47][48] He is currently the official ambassador to the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary, and donates tickets to Flames games to help families at the facility.[49] The Flames named him the recipient of the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award in 2008 in honour of his participation with the Children's Hospital.[50] Phaneuf has appeared on the cover of the NHL 09 video game,[51] and played a role in NHL promotions and commercials.[52] [edit] Career statistics[edit] Regular season and playoffs
[edit] International
[edit] All-Star Games
[edit] Awards and achievements
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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