Flying and Foofing
Phonetic phun with Dion Phaneuf is the latest phad in hockey coverage. The big Calgary rookie has turned heads — both sportswriters and some unprepared opposing wingers who were on the wrong end of a phreakin’ hit. Last night, though, Phaneuf was a playoff rookie, and it showed. Certainly his goal late in the 3rd period that brought Calgary to within a shot got a spur under the Saddledome fans, but it was his decision to pinch in and finish a check earlier than led to the 4th Anaheim goal. Check the replay: Phaneuf came in to about the hash marks to play the body, not the puck, a shovel pass went past him, and the Ducks scored on the resulting two on one. Dion foofed.
To be phair, the Ducks were phlying. Nieds had a short-handed goal, showing some of the speed that’s earned him “fastest skater” honors at NHL All-Star Games (when there were such things). Lupul was lightning phast. And even Vitaly Vishnevski showed some some phlash. (Note to readers: we have a special soft spot in our household for Vishnevski, because that’s what we believe my wife’s family’s name was back in the Old Country. Not that we think we’re related, but it’s good copy).
So, a request for writers and editors everywhere: let’s get the “f’” back to reality. I mean, I only know two other people with “Dion” as a first name, and both use a better phonetic spelling. One is a professional athlete (I don’t know him personally); the other is a hockey mom (and her husband is the source of much game-used swag, but that’s a story for a different time). Time to cut out the foofy stuff.
Tags: phaneuf, playoffs, vishnevski