Today is the day that it is rumored the Toronto Maple Leafs will name Dion Phaneuf the 21st Captain in franchise history.
It has been quite some time since we have seen a leader on this team with such tangible intensity as Phaneuf. Sundin certainly didn't have it, perhaps Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour, but certainly not Sundin.
Don't get me wrong all you Sundin fans, he was a great player and I can't say he was a bad leader, just just wasn't very intense in that role.
That being said, intensity without intelligence is not only not-productive it is often counter productive.
Phaneuf has demonstrated a penchant for leadership by example since he exploded onto the scene after yet another trade between the Calgary Flame and Toronto Maple Leafs that saw the Maple Leafs essentially fleece the Flames.
The Leafs haven't had a captain since Mats Sundin left in 2008. A fact that has not eluded fans of the team.
While many fans have thought that the Toronto Maple Leafs had need of a captain, the most plausible choice would have been someone like Ian White who ironically enough left the team for Calgary in the sam ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Eric Warren
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