Home, sweet home for No. 2
BRUCE GARRIOCH
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — This will be a homecoming for Dion Phaneuf.
Yes, this small city of 14,500 is thrilled to host an NHL exhibition game between the New Jersey Devils and the Ottawa Senators, but the most excited person in the Credit Union Centre may be wearing a No. 2 jersey with the name Phaneuf on the back.
As the Senators arrived Sunday for rest and relaxation before facing the Devils Monday night in the Kraft Hockeyville Game being held at the 4,228-seat building, the 32-year-old Phaneuf is buoyed to play in front of family and friends in the place he makes his off-season home with his wife Elisha Cuthbert.
“I skate at this rink we’re playing at and I’ve skated there right before camp when we’re getting ready,” the club’s alternate captain told Postmedia in an interview before leaving Ottawa. “Hockey on Prince Edward Island is a big thing. They’re very passionate about their hockey.
“I’ll just say there’s lots of Eastern Conference hats on PEI. People are really passionate about the game and it’s going to be great event for the Island.”
The small town of O’Leary, PEI won the Hockeyville competition in April over Ituna, Saskatchewan. Both communities received $100,000 in funding for upgrades to their rinks. The decision was made to move the game 45 minutes away to Summerside because the O’Leary Community Sports Centre can only hold 1,200-to-1,500.
A full day of activities was planned in O’Leary Sunday to celebrate the game and this allows more people to have access to attend. The hockey roots run deep in PEI: Former Senators’ coach Dave Cameron, Las Vegas coach Gerard Gallant and former Columbus GM Doug MacLean are all from here while Summerside is the home of Ottawa chief pro scout Jim Clark.
Phaneuf, who spent a day in O’Leary this summer, said it’s nice to see the NHL in a place that wouldn’t normally get the chance to see it live.
“I look at what Hockeyville does, and it’s a $100,000 donation to a community that shows so much passion for the game,” Phaneuf said. “What a great initiative by Kraft to come with it, to award these towns with the opportunity to raise $100,000 to put back into their local community rinks.
“That, in turn, is returned to grassroots hockey. It’s a great initiative. I’m excited to be able to go there, I’ve got a lot of family and friends there, so it’s going to be a fun couple of days.”
Phaneuf lives on the North shore near Cavendish Beach. His father, Paul, and mother, Amber, make their home in Edmonton, but they’re from Summerside and spend summers here. Paul has already returned to his job in Edmonton but Amber is in the area and will be in the stands.
Phaneuf vacationed in PEI growing up and had a home built — that includes a full fitness facility — where he likes to spend most of the off-season.
“I used to spend the summers there with my grandparents and my aunts and uncles. I’ve just continued to go back because I love it out (here),” Phaneuf said. “I enjoy the pace of life, I enjoy the beaches, I spend a lot of time on my boat and I like to fish plus there’s great golf.
“The main thing that brought me there was family so that’s always the No. 1 thing when I get back there and I get to see my family — see my grandparents. I just enjoy the island. I love the pace of life, I love the people and it’s been great to me. The reason I love it so much is you go there and you get to recharge. The pace of life really slows down. There’s not too much of a rush out there.”
PhaneufskateswiththeQMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders camp in the final two weeks of August to help him get ready for the NHL season.
“I’m excited to go there with our team just because I know how much it means to PEI,” Phaneuf said. “Spending the summers there and being a part of the community in Prince Edward Island, people are very proud that O’Leary was able to win it.
“I know I went up there this summer for some Kraft Hockeyville celebrations and the town is very, very excited and proud to have brought this game to Prince Edward Island. I know the island is very proud of this game and it’s going to be fun.”
The players had a choice to go golfing or fishing Sunday. Many chose to take in one final round on the links at a golf club just outside Charlottetown and then gathered at his home for a team dinner.
“We’re at numbers where we’re close to our roster and there’s going to be a good pace to this game,” Phaneuf said. “There’s going to be lots of energy in the building because they don’t see NHL hockey and people are going to be excited. As players, you like playing in buildings like that. You like the excitement of that.
“At this time of training camp, you’ve been going pretty hard for over a week now and I just think this is coming at a really good time. You get a bit of rest, you get to get your mind away from the game. The team bonding is important.”