I have rarely seen a player get ripped by media and fans alike on a day to day basis and still love this team and the city. Thank you for being out captain w
One thing I can say for sure about Dion as a Maple Leaf, he was always very well spoken and kept to his responsibility as a Captain by remaining as positive as possible and supporting his team mates. Happy retirement Dion.
Literally was a punching bag for the fans and media for shit that was out of his control. He’s such a classy guy and deserves all the respect in the world.
Dion Phaneuf was put into a no-win situation. It wasn't his decision to sign Mike Komisarek or David Clarkson. He didn't make the Phil Kessel trade. No NHL player could've taken that team on their shoulders to any kind of small victory. Dion Phaneuf got treated horribly by the press and the fans. Very underrated player that we were very lucky to have.
I think that people don't realize he was on one of the worst teams in the NHL, and that it's not his fault. He was there when the Leafs were in tough times and just played the game without caring how badly the team was doing
Kinda like half the time they play now except they have a lot more skilled guys now…But i always stand by kessel is way better than marner was on the leafs
@@greenmanlll agreed. That guy thrown from the fire into the frying pan and never backed down. One of the most mentally tough players I've ever seen. And hilarious to boot.
@@mikeforehead343 the management probably, the whole back office was a giant boy's club of sundowning has-beens that drove the franchise so hard into the ground that it took years for shanahan and co. to dig them out of it
A man who played under expectations that were unfair to him. Dion always showed up, was 110% accountable and filled his role as captain in an exemplary manner. I would love to see his ill spirited critics try to do their jobs under half the criticism and pressure that Dion had to perform under. The man was and continues to be a credit to the city and the TML organization. I admire and respect him.
Shame the NHL changed as much as it did from when he entered the league to his departure, still an impactful guy, but had he played his whole career an era, before could have been looked at as one of the best, just couldn’t keep up with the speed and skill. I’ll never forget that lime green synergy, I asked for that stick for years as a kid, so iconic!
An extremely classy and well spoken press conference, Dion. I hope The Leafs find a place for you in a management position. Best of luck in your future endeavors, Dion
Having to follow up sundin is a tough task, you handled it as good as you could though Dion. Wonder what his impact is going to be on hockey 5 years from now?
Thank you for your time Dion! You were my favourite childhood player when I was growing up! You’re actually the reason why I wore number 3 throughout most of my hockey career! Happy retirement!
The weight of the captaincy was insanely heavy for him during a tumultuous time for the Leafs. He deserved a better cast of team mates. Congrats on your retirement, Dion!
Well said thanks dion. My first nhl game ever was your first game as a leaf. I hadn’t been so excited before. Going to miss you in the league! Look up to you. Thank you.
All my respect to Dion my captain as a kid, it makes me sad but happy at the same time after everything hes been through here its right that Toronto is still who should be seeing him off #3
Through the good and bad during his time in Toronto he has always been a true professional and a great human being. Thank you Dion and congratulations on a stellar career.
There were some bad times with Dion as a Leaf and there were some good times as well. More good then bad in my opinion. Especially the first few years! Happy Retirement Dion!
Never was there a player that did more for the Leafs and got sh*t on by most fans(so-called fans/a-holes the lot of them). He was a premier player in the league that had the misfortune of playing for a very bad Team He was a class act through it all and the fact he was so well respected by his Teammates and the Organization (making him Captain) speaks volumes. To all you so-called fans that crapped on him...you are not fans - you are couch riders without a clue.
My Phaneuf jersey is still the only one I own. I don't care for that old crest much but I wear his name proudly. I got it the day he was named captain I was so excited. Wish it worked out.
Congrats Dion....enjoy your retirement!!! Enough with the nonsense comments on this thread. Dion is a human being and has a family and FEELINGS! Does anyone realize how bad the team was around him, let alone the fact he was brought in to be a leader. He was up against every teams best players, every night. In my opinion, had he been used correctly for the skill set he possessed, he should have been used as a 3-4 defenseman, not a 1-2 shut down defenseman. Had he been used correctly, the trolls on here, just looking to bash every Leaf at every turn wouldn't have much negative to say about Dion. Again....congrats Dion!
Most people hating on him Jealous and could never even qualify to sharpen his skates He was here during a very tough transition and was a good player If he was on a better team during that time it would of been a different road Hope he gets a good applause tonight
It takes a special person and athlete to be the face, the voice and sadly all too often the scapegoat of what was a dreadfully dysfunctional organization. Dion took it in stride and with a stoicism that he rarely received credit for. Nothing but respect for #3
He doesnt need to be forgiven lmao, stupidest thing in the world was salute gate. If anyone needs to apologize for that its the media for spinning the story.
There was always a love hate relationship with the fans and Dion..... even in our household. My wife hated him while I liked him. I even went to a Fanfest and bought an away jersey with #3 Phaneuf on it. Goooooo Leafs go!!!
Dion was one of the best captains the Leafs ever had. He took all the brunt of everything, never walked out. Darryl Sittler ripped the C off and demanded trade because he couldn’t take it. None of that was his fault. He didn’t fire Burke, he didn’t make the trades Nonis did, he didn’t coach a useless system.
As a Maple Leafs fan, from the bottom of my heart Phaneuf, I am sorry man.. It was never your fault.. The people to blame were the terrible owners and the ones who managed this team so poorly, all those who never built a decent team around these guys.. With no supporting cast, except Kessel.. We literally had one single 30 goal scorer on our ENTIRE team pretty much the whole time Phaneuf and Kessel played here. You can't do much with that.. But they both did all they could with what they had. But, can you really blame the fans for being so frustrated during that decade? We are just fed up with poor ownership, with them always building crappy teams year after year.. We haven't won a cup in over half a century... And we are all at our breaking points. Leaf fans deserve better for how much we support this team and love them. Even though they put us through hell. This team should of been bankrupt ages ago. But with such a loyal fan base it well never happen. If the NHL ever crashed n burned, this franchise would be the last one standing, Literally.
Management put this man ( and the leafs) in a horrible position by making him captain, which was a dumb mistake by Brian Burke. But I give the man credit, he played his heart out every single game and never turned on the city or the fans.
Nobody forgets the non salute to fans. Very nice of Shanny to welcome hime back but he and the rest of the leafs of that era bring no fond memories to mind
The fans in this city are incredible -- incredibly emotional. I don't want to listen to someone uninformed rant about politics, philosophy or art, etc. and sports is no different.
I was hard on dion and it wasn't fair of me. He did a pretty good job trying to be a leader and defensive d man. Lots of responsibility on the guy that was pretty young and more offense and rough focused but he worked hard
Didn't Dion and Kessel, after a home team win, not salute the fans? I might be wrong but I member the snub but not the date. He was a hell of a hitter though.
Say what you want . The expectation that were put on him should have never happened. Decent player best years were with the Flame but it seems he played more with Toronto ... Enjoy your retirement
For the past 20 years, he was the most vilified Leaf…until Mitch Marner and his $11 million contract came along. He was a solid player, being named the Captain by Burke with the rumoured reason because he controlled the locker room music really put him at a disadvantage.
I wouldn't mind some sort of front office job or a scout if he wanted to move up the organization. Maybe an assistant coach. He seems to have the leadership aspect
I have rarely seen a player get ripped by media and fans alike on a day to day basis and still love this team and the city. Thank you for being out captain w
U da man Dion
Larry Murphy who had bad reception in Toronto, went to Detroit and won 2 Stanley cups.
Amen
@@mikeforehead343 phil kessel did the same, only back to back.
@@mikeforehead343 and if they're not careful so will Matthews and Marner.
One thing I can say for sure about Dion as a Maple Leaf, he was always very well spoken and kept to his responsibility as a Captain by remaining as positive as possible and supporting his team mates. Happy retirement Dion.
Literally was a punching bag for the fans and media for shit that was out of his control. He’s such a classy guy and deserves all the respect in the world.
Here's to Dion, we salute you!
Pretty cool he decided to retire a leaf
Dion.....Congratulations on your retirement. wish you and your family all the best.
This notification threw me off for a sec 😂
I immediately checked when this was uploaded.
his tenure with the leafs was somewhat polarizing, he seemed like a good locker guy.
ay man through all the shit , he was a good captain.
Dion Phaneuf was put into a no-win situation. It wasn't his decision to sign Mike Komisarek or David Clarkson. He didn't make the Phil Kessel trade. No NHL player could've taken that team on their shoulders to any kind of small victory. Dion Phaneuf got treated horribly by the press and the fans. Very underrated player that we were very lucky to have.
Lots of love Dion I'll never forget your arrival. Much appreciated you came back for closure♡♡♡♡
He’s a class act! Proud to see him represent Toronto.
He is one of the Leafs longest serving Captains. That in and of itself is truly remarkable. A very unappreciated Captain. Class act!
as a former Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he deserves great respect. All the best in your retirement!
I think that people don't realize he was on one of the worst teams in the NHL, and that it's not his fault. He was there when the Leafs were in tough times and just played the game without caring how badly the team was doing
Remember it well.
So, who's fold it was?
Kinda like half the time they play now except they have a lot more skilled guys now…But i always stand by kessel is way better than marner was on the leafs
@@greenmanlll agreed. That guy thrown from the fire into the frying pan and never backed down. One of the most mentally tough players I've ever seen. And hilarious to boot.
@@mikeforehead343 the management probably, the whole back office was a giant boy's club of sundowning has-beens that drove the franchise so hard into the ground that it took years for shanahan and co. to dig them out of it
A man who played under expectations that were unfair to him. Dion always showed up, was 110% accountable and filled his role as captain in an exemplary manner. I would love to see his ill spirited critics try to do their jobs under half the criticism and pressure that Dion had to perform under. The man was and continues to be a credit to the city and the TML organization. I admire and respect him.
Quite a bit of wisdom coming out of Dion here. Big respect. I guess there's a good reason he was chosen captain.
Shame the NHL changed as much as it did from when he entered the league to his departure, still an impactful guy, but had he played his whole career an era, before could have been looked at as one of the best, just couldn’t keep up with the speed and skill.
I’ll never forget that lime green synergy, I asked for that stick for years as a kid, so iconic!
Congratulations Dion on a great career and thank you for being such a great Leaf on and off the ice. Enjoy your retirement
An extremely classy and well spoken press conference, Dion. I hope The Leafs find a place for you in a management position.
Best of luck in your future endeavors, Dion
Having to follow up sundin is a tough task, you handled it as good as you could though Dion. Wonder what his impact is going to be on hockey 5 years from now?
Congratulations Dion. Great to see you back in town and hope you and your family enjoy the tribute tonight. Hope to see you back in the game soon
Thank you for your time Dion! You were my favourite childhood player when I was growing up! You’re actually the reason why I wore number 3 throughout most of my hockey career! Happy retirement!
We love you Dion thank you for being a Leaf ❤️
The weight of the captaincy was insanely heavy for him during a tumultuous time for the Leafs. He deserved a better cast of team mates. Congrats on your retirement, Dion!
Well said thanks dion. My first nhl game ever was your first game as a leaf. I hadn’t been so excited before. Going to miss you in the league! Look up to you. Thank you.
Thanks Mr. Phaneuf for being a great captain!
All my respect to Dion my captain as a kid, it makes me sad but happy at the same time after everything hes been through here its right that Toronto is still who should be seeing him off #3
He came at 24 years and was given the C. Brandon contacting Dion about his retirement should let fans clearly know that things were done here.
Through the good and bad during his time in Toronto he has always been a true professional and a great human being. Thank you Dion and congratulations on a stellar career.
Dion you are a real Leaf. Congrats on your Retirment and welcome home.
Good guy, very good Captain!! Wishing nothing but the best for you in your retirement..
He always had heart on the blue line !
Hard worker and took a lot of unnecessary shit from fans etc
There were some bad times with Dion as a Leaf and there were some good times as well. More good then bad in my opinion. Especially the first few years! Happy Retirement Dion!
Looks like they filmed this back in 2010
Imagine if it’s Morgan Rielly having to carry the sorry sack of a team that Dion had to do.
I got a signed jersey from Dion. Met him and he is a awsome guy. Congrats buddy and all the best.
Some of the roughest times in Toronto which he dealt with pretty well over all. It was a stepping stone era but had its fun moments.
I'm glad you retired
Forever an LA King
Even though you played 2 years with la and bought out but you're still my favorite la king player
A Double Dion... Classic!!!!
Respect!!!! Thank you dion
Good guy all around. We will see him again, hopefully part of the development team in T.OOOOOOO!
Congratulations on a wonderful career!
Thank you for your service Captain.
Dion you are a class act. I hope you get into hockey operations. Any team would benefit from your leadership.
Never was there a player that did more for the Leafs and got sh*t on by most fans(so-called fans/a-holes the lot of them). He was a premier player in the league that had the misfortune of playing for a very bad Team He was a class act through it all and the fact he was so well respected by his Teammates and the Organization (making him Captain) speaks volumes. To all you so-called fans that crapped on him...you are not fans - you are couch riders without a clue.
Tnere was never a player that did as much for the Leafs as Dion Phaneuf? The fuck?
Once a captain always a captain. Very happy for him
Love you Dion, fans did you dirty here I think but I thought you were great.
My Phaneuf jersey is still the only one I own. I don't care for that old crest much but I wear his name proudly. I got it the day he was named captain I was so excited. Wish it worked out.
congratulations on retirement Dion!
Throw the #3 Up in the Rafters! Loved Dion! Team in front of him was garbage but he stuck to the team. Happy Retirement Dion!
Thank you Dion!
Something tells me that this PC being held in Toronto signifies something within the organization for him in the future.
Tip of the cap to you Dion, you were a better captain than we deserved
The last Leaf that actually laid the body and got in fights.
Best of luck to you and yours dion
Congrats Dion....enjoy your retirement!!! Enough with the nonsense comments on this thread. Dion is a human being and has a family and FEELINGS! Does anyone realize how bad the team was around him, let alone the fact he was brought in to be a leader. He was up against every teams best players, every night. In my opinion, had he been used correctly for the skill set he possessed, he should have been used as a 3-4 defenseman, not a 1-2 shut down defenseman. Had he been used correctly, the trolls on here, just looking to bash every Leaf at every turn wouldn't have much negative to say about Dion. Again....congrats Dion!
Most people hating on him
Jealous and could never even qualify to sharpen his skates
He was here during a very tough transition and was a good player
If he was on a better team during that time it would of been a different road
Hope he gets a good applause tonight
All the best to you and yours
It takes a special person and athlete to be the face, the voice and sadly all too often the scapegoat of what was a dreadfully dysfunctional organization. Dion took it in stride and with a stoicism that he rarely received credit for. Nothing but respect for #3
Ty Dion!!!
Good response on "salute-gate", Dion. We're all human. As a leaf fan, I forgive you. =)
He doesnt need to be forgiven lmao, stupidest thing in the world was salute gate. If anyone needs to apologize for that its the media for spinning the story.
@@mp40submachinegun81 Fair point.
Thanks Dion
after sundin, he was my idol. Phaneuf....I appreciate you and thank you for your service to the NHL. I enjoyed every bit of it. Thank You!
Thank you dion
Phil is still eating hotdogs and playing
This made me chuckle
Phil does love his hot dogs
All class
Kings legend. I’ll still never understand how we traded him and retained no salary but somehow wound up retaining on kessel.
Congratulations Dion!
There was always a love hate relationship with the fans and Dion..... even in our household. My wife hated him while I liked him. I even went to a Fanfest and bought an away jersey with #3 Phaneuf on it.
Goooooo Leafs go!!!
Congrats Dion
Dion was one of the best captains the Leafs ever had. He took all the brunt of everything, never walked out. Darryl Sittler ripped the C off and demanded trade because he couldn’t take it. None of that was his fault. He didn’t fire Burke, he didn’t make the trades Nonis did, he didn’t coach a useless system.
I thought this was an old video, and then I saw the 2021. I had such a heart attack until he announced he was retiring.
Captain all the best Dion 💯
Phaneuf is exactly the kind of defenceman the leafs need right now.
As a Maple Leafs fan, from the bottom of my heart Phaneuf, I am sorry man.. It was never your fault.. The people to blame were the terrible owners and the ones who managed this team so poorly, all those who never built a decent team around these guys.. With no supporting cast, except Kessel.. We literally had one single 30 goal scorer on our ENTIRE team pretty much the whole time Phaneuf and Kessel played here. You can't do much with that.. But they both did all they could with what they had. But, can you really blame the fans for being so frustrated during that decade? We are just fed up with poor ownership, with them always building crappy teams year after year.. We haven't won a cup in over half a century... And we are all at our breaking points. Leaf fans deserve better for how much we support this team and love them. Even though they put us through hell. This team should of been bankrupt ages ago. But with such a loyal fan base it well never happen. If the NHL ever crashed n burned, this franchise would be the last one standing, Literally.
Unfortunately the team SUCKED big time when he was a Leaf.
Not the point
Salute-Gate...his leadership.
Pretty dam classy! All the best.
Fuckin rights DION! loved watching you play! All the best big guy! Enjoy the links!!!!
Respect
All jokes aside, this man was our captain through some tough times, we wish the pylon a great retirement!
My thoughts exactly. Phaneuf was a competent enough defender thrust into a role he was not suited for with expectations beyond his abilities.
I always liked Phaneuf, the problem will always be the cap.
He took a lot of shit in Toronto, but I'll always respect the way handled himself as a Leaf. Good luck in retirement Dion!
Management put this man ( and the leafs) in a horrible position by making him captain, which was a dumb mistake by Brian Burke. But I give the man credit, he played his heart out every single game and never turned on the city or the fans.
Nobody forgets the non salute to fans. Very nice of Shanny to welcome hime back but he and the rest of the leafs of that era bring no fond memories to mind
If he was paid a couple million less per year he would be regarded as one of the best to play D for the leafs in the last 30 years. Thanks Dion
The fans in this city are incredible -- incredibly emotional. I don't want to listen to someone uninformed rant about politics, philosophy or art, etc. and sports is no different.
I was hard on dion and it wasn't fair of me. He did a pretty good job trying to be a leader and defensive d man. Lots of responsibility on the guy that was pretty young and more offense and rough focused but he worked hard
Didn't Dion and Kessel, after a home team win, not salute the fans? I might be wrong but I member the snub but not the date. He was a hell of a hitter though.
Well done Dion, keep it classy in the comments he tried his best
Say what you want . The expectation that were put on him should have never happened.
Decent player best years were with the Flame but it seems he played more with Toronto ...
Enjoy your retirement
I hated Dion most nights in those later yrs out of severe frustration with the Leaf product. Upon reflection, he was a very small part of the problem.
For the past 20 years, he was the most vilified Leaf…until Mitch Marner and his $11 million contract came along. He was a solid player, being named the Captain by Burke with the rumoured reason because he controlled the locker room music really put him at a disadvantage.
I wouldn't mind some sort of front office job or a scout if he wanted to move up the organization. Maybe an assistant coach. He seems to have the leadership aspect
Thats a true 90 degree eyebrow tilt
And now, a 21 pylon salute.
In a good way?
Dion to the Leafs front office 😉
Come on Dion
We want you back in Toronto
I got so worried for a second and thought we signed this pylon. Nice guy, but a pylon on the ice.
Wish he could have kept playing