Phaneuf finds closure, says Toronto return a night he'll remember forever
The book on Dion Phaneuf's time as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs officially came to a close Saturday night.
The former Toronto captain made his first visit to the Air Canada Centre since a February blockbuster trade to the Ottawa Senators, and he did what he didn't do often enough while in the blue and white: win.
The Senators took a 3-2 decision, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive, and Phaneuf was celebrated with a video tribute by the Maple Leafs and a standing ovation from the crowd that left him - it appeared - fighting back tears.
Related: Alter: Phaneuf feeling 'mixed emotions' before facing Maple Leafs in Toronto
After the game, Phaneuf was appreciative.
"It's a night I'll remember forever and a for me it's a pretty good way to go out," Phaneuf said, according to TSN's Jonas Seigel. "I just want to thank the fans for what they did. It meant a lot to me and that was some good closure. Real classy by them."
After emotional tribute, rough start, Phaneuf said "I kind of dialed in and I said 'I've got to be better than I was for this team'."
- Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) March 6, 2016
Phaneuf captained the Maple Leafs for 397 games, leading the club to the playoffs once - a memorable (for all the wrong reasons, if you're a Toronto supporter) seven-game defeat to the Boston Bruins.
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