Phaneuf will have his time

In just his third season in the NHL, Dion Phaneuf has put himself in some rare company. On Tuesday morning Phaneuf joined Nicklas Lidstrom and Zdeno Chara as finalists for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which goes to the defensemen who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all round ability in the position. With this definition there really is only one player to win this award this year and he has won it 5 times before, Lidstrom. With 70 points, a +40 rating, almost 27 minutes of ice time a game it's hard not to give it to him. But with that said Dion Phaneuf is on his way to owning this trophy like Bobby Orr did in the late 60's and early 70's. This season Phaneuf was first for defensemen for penalty minutes with 182, second in goals with 17 and fights with 10, fifth in average ice time and points with 60, and his 194 hits rank sixth. And it didn't stop in the post season as his 33 hits lead all other d-men. He is a mix of Scott Stevens and a little Bobby Orr. In a pole of 141 NHL players he was ranked number one as the hardest hitter in the league and he is the only defensemen I have seen that can take the puck into the offensive with relative ease, especially after he was paired up with Jim Vandermeer.