Beer, not bubbly, for Phaneuf

For Dion Phaneuf, finally winning an NHL playoff series after 13 years in the league was worthy of a reward. A modest one. “No, there’s no champagne,” he said after Ottawa defeated the Boston Bruins. “We might have a cold beer now, but there’s no champagne.”

After 900 NHL games, finally getting to the second round is a welcome new feeling for Phaneuf.

In 2008 and 2009, his Calgary Flames didn’t get through. In 2013, his Toronto Maple Leafs lost a 4-1 third-period lead en route to the infamous 5-4 overtime loss in Boston in Game 7.

Naturally, winning a series in Boston made the Senators’ victory that much more special.

“It feels just amazing,” he said. “It has been awhile, it has been my whole career to find a way out of the first round. It’s so tough. It really is. It takes everything you’ve got. It takes compete. It takes mental toughness.”