The NHL announced the Calgary Flames Quarter-Century team on Jan. 11, featuring several memorable names in franchise history.
Today, we want to look back at Dion Phaneuf‘s tenure with the club and examine his credentials for being on the Flames’ first team.
The Flames selected the Edmonton-born Phaneuf with the ninth pick at the 2003 Draft from the Red Deer Rebels. He debuted in 2005-06, scoring 20 goals as a rookie defenseman. He finished the year with 49 points in 82 games with 93 penalty minutes to earn All-Rookie Team honors, finishing third in Calder Trophy voting.
Although Phaneuf seems to have crushed the Flames’ opponents for a decade, he only skated with the organization for four and a half seasons.
From 2005 to his trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 31, 2010, Phaneuf never scored less than 47 points in a season and had 17 goals in back-to-back years in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Phaneuf reached at least double digits in goals yearly with more than 30 assists while collecting over 100 penalty minutes in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
During his time with Calgary, he gathered votes for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, finishing second in 2007-08, the same year he was selected to the NHL’s All-Star Team (1st Team).
Despite playing with an edge in his game, Phaneuf missed six games in Southern Alberta, earning two NHL All-Star Game appearances in 2007 and 2008.
Phaneuf spent four and a half seasons with the Flames. These are his totals and ranks among players over the past 25 years:
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Games Played: 378 (19th)
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Goals: 75 (15th)
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Assists: 153 (13th)
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Points: 228 (13th)
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Plus/Minus: Plus-19 (25th)
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Penalty Minutes: 522 (4th)
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Hits: 878 (2nd)
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Blocks: 411 (12th)
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Average Ice Time: 24:43 (3rd)
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Awards: None
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All-Star Games: 2007, 2008
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Honors: NHL All-Rookie Team (2006), NHL All-Star Team – 1st (2008)
The Flames traded Phaneuf with Keith Aulie and Frederik Sjöström in exchange for Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, Matt Stajan, and Ian White. He played parts of seven seasons with the Original Six franchise, serving six years as captain.
However, he became among the few NHL captains traded during their tenure, as the Maple Leafs dealt him to the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 9, 2016. He played in Canada’s capital city for three seasons before another trade sent him to the Los Angeles Kings in 2018.
At 33, Phaneuf announced his retirement from the NHL following the 2018-19 season.
Although he was with the Flames for less than five seasons, Phaneuf is Calgary’s eighth-highest-scoring defenseman, with 228 points in 378 games.
Related: Flames Quarter-Century First Team: Jarome Iginla
Related: Flames Quarter-Century First Team: Johnny Gaudreau
