Now I don’t profess to be anything more than a good Canadian boy who loves to play hockey. Was on skates for the first time at 3 and started playing in games at 6. To this day I play at least twice a week during the winter and oh ya, I play defence. That’s about where me and Dion Phaneuf part paths. He too started playing hockey at a young age, but has since become a six foot two, two hundred pound plus monster of a defenceman in the NHL.

Everybody loves the new NHL, scoring is up, the names Crosby and Ovetchkin are becoming known across the league and so with such a love fest going on somebody seems to have missed the fact that in reality the best rookie in the NHL is Phaneuf. With Robyn Regher hurt for the better part of the beginning of the season, Phaneuf shouldered the defensive load, logging over 23 minutes of ice time a game. He quickly replaced Scott Stevens as the league’s most feared body checker and oh ya he managed to add 4 goals and 8 assists with a nice +1 rating.

Defence is the toughest position to learn in the NHL, not to mention coming in at a time where the clutching and grabbing is gone. There are very few guys who can play over 20 minutes a night on the point, getting points without being a defensive liability. Phaneuf has already proven to be that kind of a player. People fail to realize the value it brings to a club to be able to have an offensive defensman who can control his own end of the rink as well. It means you don’t have to throw out your best defensive defenseman with him everytime. Just look at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Don’t you think they would rather not have to play Brian McCabe and Tomas Kaberle together? If they did though, you would end up noticing the gaping lack of defensive ability of McCabe.

Bottom line, Phaneuf is Phenominal and if you are lucky enough to catch a Calgary game this season enjoy him becuase he’s a beaut!