Maple Leafs give Dion Phaneuf tribute in return to Toronto (Video)
Brooks Laich wasn’t the only NHL player this week returning to a former city of employment in emotional fashion. Dion Phaneuf and the Ottawa Senators visited the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night for the first time since the February trade.
The former Maple Leafs captain was given a test run of how the Air Canada Centre crowd would react to him when Phaneuf’s Senators teammates jokingly booed him every time he touched the puck during their morning skate.
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But while some Leafs fans weren’t so welcoming…
(notice the pylons?)
…the organization did play a tribute video to Phaneuf during a stoppage in play in the first period, which certainly touched him.
“You might not think I have emotion but I’m an emotional guy,” Phaneuf said before the game via the Toronto Sun. “I played hard for this organization. I took pride in playing hard night after night and I’ve got a lot of respect for the organization so for them to do that it’s a very classy move on their part and I’m very appreciative of it.”
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
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