"Dion Phaneuf had been nowhere near the rink. But nothing could stop the buzz. Nothing could stop him from (indirectly) stirring the pot.

The Dion - one-time darling of the Calgary Flames, now captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs - was attending a family funeral Wednesday, meaning he wasn't around for the practice session at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Didn't matter.

Because he was still a factor.

The mere suggestion that beating Phaneuf would mean something extra special was enough to knock the smile off Jarome Iginla's face. Not an easy task.

"I honestly will not take any pleasure out of playing him and just beating him," said the Flames captain, bristling. "Honestly, to beat the Maple Leafs would feel great. But it's not like all we want to do is play and beat Dion. No, that isn't the case. We know he'll be charged up. From our point of view, we want to play (well) and string something together.

"Honestly. I'm not just making that up. It's not like, at the end of the day, we won and I'm going to be like, 'Ha ha.' That's not the case. It's really about the win. I'd feel even better about beating the Maple Leafs."

Tonight, it's not inconceivable that the captains end up jostling in front of the net, hacking in the corners, shoving after the whistle.

Or, you know, chatting.

"He always talks, he gets into it with all the teams," said Iginla. "So I imagine there'll be some (chirping). I was watching (Tuesday's) highlights - he was getting into it with Edmonton. That's what he does, you know. You appreciate that when you play with him. I guess we'll get to see it on the other side."

Phaneuf, after all, is never boring."