On Tuesday, Dion Phaneuf officially announced his retirement from hockey. The announcement formally caps a 1,048-game NHL career, with his last came coming with the Los Angeles Kings back in 2019.
Phaneuf played for four teams over his career, starting with the Calgary Flames before moving through Toronto, Ottawa, and finally Los Angeles. His time in Toronto was the most defining stint of his career, where he wore the ‘C’ for six season – the only Leafs captain between Mats Sundin and John Tavares.
Phaneuf’s time in Toronto didn’t go quite as planned when he originally joined the team in a blockbuster trade with the Calgary Flames. Phaneuf scored 45 goals and recorded 196 points over 423 games with Toronto, but the Leafs struggled to make a competitive push. As a result, Phaneuf shouldered a lot of the blame with the ‘C’ weighing heavy on his chest.
Regardless, the Leafs helped Phaneuf to officially skate off into retirement. On the day that their former captain made the official announcement, the Leafs honoured Phaneuf ahead of puck drop against Nashville.
Congrats on calling it a career, Dion!
