from Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun,
Perhaps it’s time to cut Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf some slack instead of cutting him up all the time, as the media and Leafs fans tend to do in abundance. Myself included.
Guess what? Whipping boy Phaneuf is a plus-14 this season. The Leafs captain has also been on the ice for 54 goals for, tied (heading into Tuesday’s game against Anaheim) with Calgary’s TJ Brodie for the NHL lead. And playing along defensive partner Cody Franson, Phaneuf almost always plays against the opposition’s top line.
Everyone dumps on him when the Leafs are in the doldrums. But when things are going well (as they have since a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 20), the praise hasn’t come with the same frequency. Maybe it’s the having-a-Hollywood-wife thing. Who knows.
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