Toronto's Dion Phaneuf: A Diamond in the Rough

Last week, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson coronated a new team captain in Dion Phaneuf. In many ways, the move is a risky one—one that might have huge payoffs, or one that might end up being a monumental mistake.

Showing up on the score sheet is not the issue. Maybe Phaneuf won't reach the coveted 20-goal mark again, but combining the minutes he’s going to see with his killer shot, 40 points are a shoe-in, and that’s all the Leafs really need from him in that department.

Truculence, that quality all Leafers need on their resume in this era of general manager Brian Burke, is also in no short supply with the former Calgary Flame. Thundering checks and flying fists are sure to keep opponents on their toes, and fans on the edge of their seats.

No, the issue with Phaneuf is not talent or toughness, but his attitude, and it will make or break his time with the "C" on the upper left chest of his jersey.

Yes, Toronto fans all know that it was Phaneuf, who on Day One, entered the funeral parlor that was the Leaf dressing room following the blockbuster January deal with the Flames, and continued to talk non-stop. He livened things up. He got the young guys excited to come to the rink. Fellow defenseman Luke Schenn started to look like Luke Schenn again. The banter extended to the ice, and in the last part of the season, the Leafs had success. 

But for anyone who's willing to look, there’s also the dark side to this sunny new-kid-in-town story. Phaneuf's personal qualities may not turn out to be as positive as they first appear.

Everyone knows about the guy who won’t shut up, who seems so cool when you first get to know him, and then who, after a few months, you would give anything to get the guy to just shut up already, for the love of God!

Everyone knows about the guy who seems to have it all, and then after a while, you realize that know one knows it more than him. And suddenly, well, it seems like he doesn’t have very much, after all.

Everyone knows about the star who has immense talent, but whose life away from the arena can threaten to destroy all his potential. There’s so much carnage on that highway of the modern athlete, there’s no need to mention any names.

Phaneuf by all accounts, seems susceptible to all these pitfalls.

It’s great to have actress Elisha Cuthbert showing up to games and all, but the last thing the Leafs need is superstar girlfriend drama becoming a distraction.

Being verbal and outspoken can be motivating, but only if you also know how to listen. Some reports out of Calgary were that Phaneuf refused to adjust his game, thinking that he knew best, despite what his stats were reflecting, and how the Flames were performing.

A captain that is all about number one tends to keep keepin’ on like everything is a-OK, even when the ship is clearly sinking around him.

A captain who talks non-stop to keep his own conscience at bay is likely to form a clique of players who massage his ego, alienating players that don’t bow down to him. No matter how much talent those teams have, with that sort of leadership and lack of cohesion, they fail and disintegrate. 

On the other hand, making Phaneuf captain may turn out to be a stroke of genius, neatly wrapping up all those loose ends of his character. After all, many a man has changed his ways when thrust into a position of responsibility.

Remember Mats Sundin? That floater with the wicked backhand? Very quickly that floater became the hard-nosed never-give-up battler the Leafs needed him to be when Pat Quinn handed him the team leadership.

As captain, suddenly it can’t just be about Dion all the time. When he knows that he is largely responsible for team chemistry, he will be forced to do whatever he can to engender it. When the blinding spotlight of the rapacious Toronto media falls on him after a string of losses—something that happens all too often in the Big Smoke—he’ll have more incentive to listen to Wilson, to listen to everybody, adjusting his game for the good of the team. 

In short, he’ll respond to his new role and grow up. I do believe becoming captain of the Maple Leafs will have this transformative effect on Phaneuf. 

We’ve already heard that he wants to be the hardest working guy on the team, and that’s a good place to start.

In the end, I believe a man of his capabilities and potential will relish the opportunity of being the captain of one of the most storied franchises in the NHL.

In a few years, no one will remember or care about the youthful imperfections of his character, but will instead respect him as a leader who faces all challenges to the best of his abilities and beyond. 

He will be someone we are proud of, as a captain should be, and everyone will be happy—everyone that is except those Calgary fans who are never going to forgive the Sutter boys for letting this diamond in the rough slip from their hands.