Defenseman Dion Phaneuf made his retirement from the NHL official Tuesday after 14 seasons with four different teams.
Phaneuf, 36, played with the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings. He recorded 494 points (137 goals, 357 assists) in 1,048 games since being selected by the Flames in the first round of the 2003 NHL Draft.
Phaneuf hasn’t played in the league since the final two years of his contract were bought out by the Kings in June 2019.
“As I look back, it’s hard to encapsulate and thank the great number of people who supported and guided me both as a player and a person throughout my career,” Phaneuf said in a release by the NHL Players Association. “I was very fortunate to play in the NHL for a long time and I’m thankful first and foremost to my mom, dad and brother for their untiring support on and off the ice.”
Phaneuf will be honored on Tuesday night during the Maple Leafs’ home game against the Nashville Predators.
Phaneuf was traded from the Flames to the Maple Leafs as part of a seven-player deal on Jan. 31, 2010. He was named as the 18th captain of the Maple Leafs on June 14, 2010.
“A great thanks to the entire Toronto Maple Leafs organization, their ownership and leadership Larry Tanenbaum and Brendan Shanahan for providing me with this opportunity to retire with such love and support here in Toronto,” Phaneuf said in a statement. “It was a special honor to represent the Maple Leafs as team captain a point of pride and honor that I will carry with me forever.”
The Maple Leafs expressed their appreciation of Phaneuf over social media on Tuesday.
“Congratulations Dion on a great NHL career,” the team posted on its official Twitter account. “Thank you for your years of service as captain and for your exemplary contributions to the community.”
Phaneuf was traded from the Maple Leafs to the provincial-rival Ottawa Senators on Feb. 9, 2016. He helped the Senators advance to Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals before falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Phaneuf was then traded to the Kings on Feb. 14, 2018.
“I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the many coaches, staff and teammates I had the privilege to work alongside through the years,” Phaneuf said in a statement. “My first NHL GM and coach, Darryl Sutter, gave me my start in Calgary and showed me what it takes to be a top player in the NHL; I’m indebted to Brian Burke for bringing me to Toronto and making me captain for one of the most historic franchises in league history; my billets, Dan and Christine Doyle, and so many teammates from the Maple Leafs, Flames, Senators and Kings who will remain friends well past our playing days.”
–Field Level Media