Haters Gonna Hate..

[MSP4LYFE]

TORONTO - By no means will Dion Phaneuf make any excuses.

But if you were wondering why the Toronto Maple Leafs captain has struggled this season, then you should know all the facts. And the fact is that up until about a week or two ago, Phaneuf has not been himself.

An injury that occurred on Nov. 2, when Phaneuf was sidelined for 16 games after an opponent's skate sliced his leg and partially damaged a tendon in his knee, has hampered the defenceman more than anyone really knew. It is the reason he has appeared slower and more tentative on the ice. And it might explain why he only has one goal this season.

Not that Phaneuf would blame a long-ago injury for his struggles. After all, he has been back playing for more than six weeks now. And even before getting hurt, Toronto fans had been booing the highly paid defenceman for his sub-par play.

"Your injuries aren't suddenly over one day and then the next day you're full go," head coach Ron Wilson said. "It's been a process for him."

The process included being able to remove a knee brace, which few knew he had been wearing, after the Christmas break. Since then, it has been a series of baby steps for the 25-year-old.

Phaneuf is at his best when he is playing an aggressively. There is no room for hesitation. Or fear.

So the challenge has been diving back into the action, without worrying about making a mistake or getting hurt again.

"I've asked him to be more physically involved and let the other team know early in the game that he's into it," Wilson said. "He has to be physical. That's when you really see him on his game. He's shooting the puck and skating better. That all comes from being physical early in games.

"Again, I had to really stress to him about being physical and he wasn't."

It was not until the Leafs played the Anaheim Ducks last week, in what Wilson called "his best game in a month," that the real Phaneuf finally showed up.

As soon as the puck dropped, Phaneuf looked interested. He hit anything that moved, located the net with his shot and finished the game with one assist and a season-high 28 minutes and 55 seconds of ice time. It was the kind of performance that the Leafs had been expecting ever since they traded for Phaneuf last season and then named him captain.

On Saturday, he replicated that effort in a 4-1 loss against the Washington Capitals, where he picked up another assist. General manager Brian Burke wrote in an e-mail that Phaneuf had been "a force all over the ice" and "was very pleased with his play."

But the people who are the most impressed have been his teammates.

They knew all along how badly Phaneuf was hurting and how frustrated he was with his play. But they also admired the fact that he had come back to help the team, even though he was far from being 100 per cent healthy.

"I was there in the hospital and I saw his leg," said defenceman Mike Komisarek, who sits beside Phaneuf in the dressing room. "I knew right off the bat that it was serious, that it was not something you get over in a day.

"The last week or two here, he's had that jump in his step. He looks faster, a lot more confident moving pucks. He's a tremendous player, a real key player on our team and he's now showing that he's one of the top defencemen in the league."

A two-game sample does not automatically put Phaneuf in the Norris Trophy contention. Nor does a long-ago knee injury excuse him from what has been a disappointing season.

But now that it appears to be behind him, there is nothing standing in his way of leading this team.

"If we're going to have any kind of success," forward Kris Versteeg said, "we're going to have a large part of it coming from Dion."

http://www.canada.com/sports/Healthy+Ph ... z1BxixJUWC

[inferno31]

Hes definitely brought his physical side more the last two games, lets hope the offense isn't so far behind. From an offensive side we have one anemic defense.

[MSP4LYFE]

Hes definitely brought his physical side more the last two games, lets hope the offense isn't so far behind. From an offensive side we have one anemic defense.

He's been pelting the net with bombs the last two nights which is a great sign, but I don't expect much with our team...It is pathetic how bad our pp is at generating open shooting lanes, just pathetic, easily the worst in the NHL.

[Shep]

He's been great the last 2 or 3 games. Lots of hits, low shots on net.

This is the Dion I was hoping for. I hope this continues forever.

[MSP4LYFE]

He's been great the last 2 or 3 games. Lots of hits, low shots on net.

This is the Dion I was hoping for. I hope this continues forever.

Same Ryan, same...

[Robin Hood]

phaneuf sucks.

just kidding.

[MSP4LYFE]

Last 3 games:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3HZ3ORUrZ4&feature=fvwk[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNPqFM48cKY[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW5g8cjNduY[/youtube]

He's back...

[Nick]

when he hits in the first couple of minutes, his entire game is different.... god he's fun to have on your team when he's doing stuff like that.

[KapG]

Nice to see him getting the puck on net more consistently too.

[The BBKL Insider]

The problem with the leafs is Wilson

if people wanna hate, he's the person to attack.....Dion's been great lately!!

Friggin Wilson and his "zone's" are absolutely horrible....i've never watched a more dis-organized team on the ice.

[inferno31]

The problem with the leafs is Wilson

if people wanna hate, he's the person to attack.....Dion's been great lately!!

Friggin Wilson and his "zone's" are absolutely horrible....i've never watched a more dis-organized team on the ice.

Our special teams have been horrific, there is no excuse for it being this bad. I think its Wilson and his assistants faults, they've failed to adapt as much as other coaches have. I really wanted us to pick up Percy Pearn as an assistant but it hasn't happened. Also how is Keith Acton still around? He seems to last through every single organization. Some Shark fans have said its not Wilson as much who was the problem there but his assistants, and he brought the same ones with him here.