The Calgary Sun · Feb 9, 2016
Captain Dion Phaneuf never had a chance to flourish with Leafs
Dion Phaneuf during a game against Philadelphia on Jan. 19, 2016 (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)TORONTO - From his first awkward moments as the team’s 18th captain to the brutal, bone-headed pinch on the first shift of his last game with the Leafs, Dion Phaneuf never had a chance.
Polarizing from the beginning of his captaincy, he never had a chance to live up to the great expectations Brian Burke and Ron Wilson heaped on him when they put the “C” on his sweater.
He never had a chance to win over a fan base desperate for a winner and strong leader when at the time he was a player who was tentative as a leader and tentative on the ice.