Dion Phaneuf News: Pro Sports Daily

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September 19

Calgary Herald

"Go ahead: call Dion Phaneuf a coward for refusing to drop the gloves in the aftermath of a vicious open-ice hit that sent Kyle Okposo to hospital. Tell Phaneuf he violated the unwritten NHL code Thursday by declining the many challenges to fight by New York Islanders eager to avenge their fallen teammate. People have the right to their own opinions, Phaneuf said. And so does he. "I felt it was a clean hit," the Calgary Flames rearguard said Friday after a training camp session at the Max Bell Arena. "That's part of my game. I have to play that way." Okposo left the ice on a stretcher and went directly to Foothills Hospital from the Pengrowth Saddledome for further testing. The third-year ..."

Time for Phaneuf to stand up

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September 19

Calgary Herald

columnist George Johnson

"Although the curmudgeonly media cretins rarely see behind the deep inlets of his furrowed brow, there are those inside the Calgary Flames inner sanctum who swear that Dion Phaneuf is, despite the rather dour public image, in fact a standup guy. Well then, stand up. The senses-sapping hit on an unsuspecting Kyle Okposo that has the hockey world abuzz is not, in essence, the real issue here. For most of last season, people around this city wondered why Phaneuf, who in his first couple of years was credited with more top-of-the-charts hits than the Bee Gees, wasn't laying on the body more frequently, and with more controlled abandon. So to carp about a ferocious blast now would be ..."

Islanders furious at Phaneuf hit

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September 18

Calgary Herald

"Dion Phaneuf pleads not guilty to any charges of wrongdoing on the debilitating open-ice bodycheck that sent Kyle Okposo from the Pengrowth Saddledome straight to Foothills Hospital. The New York Islanders forward — entering his second full NHL season — made the rookie mistake Thursday of wandering through the neutral zone with his head down in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames. True to his reputation as a heavy hitter, Phaneuf made Okposo pay. Big time. "He cut through the middle and kind of fumbled the puck and looked down," Phaneuf said. "I stepped up. I definitely thought it was a clean hit." The devastating impact sent Okposo crashing to the ice. The Islanders training staff ..."