02/03/2007: Living up to expectations

A few things about this article before I post. There's this thing called quotation marks, commas, and apostrophes, use them. I had to add them in to make it make sense. And Dane at 13 is the exact same height and weight that I am right now at 21. Oh Lord.

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Like his older brother, Dion, Dane Phaneuf spends hours blasting pucks on his backyard rink in southwest Edmonton.

"I try to get out there every night after school," said the 13-year-old Peewee hockey player.

"I spend a lot of time out there working on my shot. Its fun."

And much like his older brother, a rising NHL star defenceman with the Calgary Flames, the younger Phaneuf eats, breathes and lives hockey.

It's his passion, and has been from the early age of two-and-a-half, when Dion first introduced his younger sibling to the backyard sheet.

"(Dane) showed interest in hockey from an early age, two-and-a-half or three years old," recalled Paul Phaneuf, who now lines up pucks on the backyard ice for his younger son to shoot, much as he did on many a chilly winter night for Dion.

Dane also follows the example set by his older brother. Dion is still up and gone by 7 a.m., displaying that unwavering level of commitment. Dane is no different. "He comes home from school and spends quite a bit of time on our backyard rink practicing his shot."

And so does dad, who estimates hes driven more than one million kilometers taking his boys to arenas throughout Western Canada.

That unwavering commitment to the game is beginning to pay dividends for the Edmonton Southwest Peewee Spitfires defenceman.

This season, Dane's shot has found the back of the net 15 times, while setting up another 20 markers for his Tier 1 Peewee teammates.

"More importantly," said Spitfires head coach Sam Skinner, "the younger Phaneuf is evolving into a dominant player on the ice this year largely in part because hes on the ice instead of in the penalty box. Dane is a very emotional boy. What I've been working on with him since the start of the year is to transfer that emotion into his skating, passing and thinking.

"In past years, I've been told he used to take a lot of penalties, trying, I presume, to emulate Dions physical game. This year, he's not spending nearly as much time in the penalty box, he's spending all of that energy on the ice in a positive way."

Without a doubt, the kid has pedigree, not to mention a fierce will to succeed.

In a recent game during Edmonton Minor Hockey Week, three Confederation Zone forwards made the mistake of trying to beat Phaneuf one-on-one. At 13, Dane is already developing the hockey savvy to angle players long before they even cross the blueline. He may not be the most imposing player on the ice for his age (five-foot-one and 115 pounds), but his determination is often unrivaled.

"Dion's determination and his will to succeed are very strong, and I see that in Dane," said Paul. "It's very positive for him. Dane looks up to his older brother. Every shift that Dane's out there he tries very hard, which I think is a result of seeing the success that his older brother has had, and he wants to go down that same road."

Despite the age difference between the two Phaneuf brothers, nine years, and not to mention the kilometers that now separate them as Dion continues to live his NHL dream, the two brothers remain tight.

"He (Dion) tries to phone me every day," said Dane. "We're really close. He's a good big brother. He's given me some tips on my shot and especially my stick handling skills, as well."

"It's still early, with the Bantam draft still three years away. However, the comparisons and similarities between the two at this age are uncanny," said Paul. "Dane is every bit as good, if I can use that word, as Dion was. He's actually a better skater than Dion was at this age."

Paul added: "The way Dane handles the puck, the way he sees the ice, and the way he spots players coming at him and basically takes them out... his game is very similar to Dion's. I never thought Dion would be where he is today, but now that hes made it, I'm watching Dane and, of course, I'm hoping. Right now though, my wife and I just want Dane to have fun. Its all about fun right now. Its not even about winning."

The younger Phaneuf is having fun, plenty of it, despite the notoriety connected to the name on the back of his jersey. With each face-off and every battle in the corner, Dane is quickly realizing there's often a price to pay for having a brother who's made it to the show.

"They (opposing players) come after me, and I just do my best to stand them up," said Dane, unfazed by the additional on-ice attention. "They trash talk me in front of the net and after whistles. Some teams are pretty bad. They say things like You're not as good, Don't even try anymore. But that's okay ... it doesn't bother me."

It does, however, bother his coach. At one point, Skinner took the issue up with Edmonton Minor Hockey officials.

"Some opposing coaches were yelling threats and obscenities to him on the ice," explained Skinner, adding, "They dont want him to succeed. Dane has had to put up with a lot just because hes Dions brother. He keeps his composure though, and Im very proud of him for that. I asked him to be our captain this year, because of those strong attributes. He gives 110 per cent every time he hits the ice, and he's a great leader in the dressing room."