Momentum equals mass times velocity. When each vari-able is big enough it can pack quite a wallop. At 6'2,215 lbs, Dion Phaneuf has the mass, and if you saw hisshorthanded end-to-end goal against the Wild lastMarch you know he's got the wheels.

So do the physics hold up?

Yup. Just ask Denis Hamel, formally of the Ottawa Senators. Inwhat looks like a comedy sketch where a person about to bethrown from a roof is replaced by a mannequin that obviouslyweighs a fraction of what a person weighs, the 6'2, 200 lbsHamel is thrown head over heels into the air as he runs intoPhaneuf's shoulder. And if the YouTube footage of the hit isn'tenough to convince you, just consider that in an informal pollconducted by ESPN as part of their coverage of the 2006-2007All Star break, 43 percent of the 141 NHL players polled con-sidered Phaneuf the hardest hitter in the NHL. That's a decentsample size all saying the same thing: when Phaneuf hits you,you know it.

But hitting is only one aspect of the level of play that he bringsto the table. And most impressive is that he's only 23 years old.So what's a guy that hits like a train do to get that good?

For starters, he's disciplined. The NHL has changed so muchover the last few years in terms of players maintaining anexemplary level of fitness even during the off-season, but whatabout diet during all of the road games a team plays in a year?Eating in restaurants all of the time must present a challenge tohealthy eating. “It's relatively easy,” says Phaneuf. “You knowwhere to go to eat because it's healthy, and you know what youlike to eat before games, so it's all about making good decisionsabout where you!re eating and what you're eating and takingcare of your body.”

It's also about hard work. “I train everyday – except on Sundaysin the summer,” he adds. “You've got to come to camp in very,very good shape. If you don't you fall behind.” And you just needto compare him to other defencemen in the '03 draft class to seethat falling behind is the last thing he's done in his young career.In fact, even with all of the success that SheaWeber is having thisyear with Nashville, Phaneuf is leading the pack by a longshot. Asimple comparison shows that up to this point, no other defence-man drafted in 2003 has even come close to achieving the samelevel of consistency as Calgary's number three.

Hamel is thrown head over heels into theair as he runs into Phaneuf'sshoulder.

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In all eight rounds of the 2003 draft a total of84 defenceman were chosen. Of these,only 16 have played in at least 82 gamessince being drafted (At the time of writ-ing, Phaneuf has played in 243 games– only Brent Burns at 267 has playedmore); four have at least 20 goals(Phaneuf has 54 – Burns is secondwith 27); 10 have at least 30assists (Dion has 105 – BrentSeabrook is next with 70); eighthave at least 40 points (Phaneufhas 159 – Burns is a distant sec-ond with 90 points); and,according to the Flames web-site, Phaneuf has managed594 hits over his 243 gamecareer. That's, on average,twice as many hits per gamethan Burns.

Finally, Dion is the type of play-er that will take chances tomake a play or lay a huge hit,and sometimes he'll slip up,but the difference for him isthat mistakes are learningopportunities. “I think youshould play the game withoutworrying about making mis-takes,” he says. “Mistakes willhappen, but if they're honest,hard-working mistakes you cancorrect them.” However, he's quickto say that not all mistakes areequal and that while all deserveattention some can cause moreproblems than others. “You're notgoing to get questioned about honest,hard working mistakes,” he adds, but“if you make mistakes that are mental,that's when the problems come in.”

The expression “going south” usually hasnegative connotations, but in the case ofPhaneuf's hockey career it's quite literal.Growing up in Edmonton, Dion was (dare Isay it?) an Oiler fan. Eventually he was draft-ed by the Red Deer Rebels and his south-bound migration began. In 2003 the CalgaryFlames made him their first pick ninth overall.And even though loyalty to a player can at timesbe a fickle thing when you're a fan, when you'refamily it's steadfast. “When I was drafted inNashville, Tennessee, everybody switched over real

quick,” he says of all of his family members.

After switching sides, Phaneuf became an anchor, not justfor the Flames, but for the community as well. So much so, that

the hockey club awarded him the Ralph T. Scurfield HumanitarianAward last March. This award is given to the Flames player whobest exemplifies dedication to community service, among otherthings. “It's a huge honour,” says Phaneuf of the recognition. “Butyou don't do the things in the community you do for awards,” hesays. “But when you're presented with something that special itmeans a lot to me.” Currently working as the Flames ambassador

for the Alberta Children's Hospital, Phaneuf says he is deeplyhonoured to fill the role. “You know we feel very fortunate to gointo the Children's Hospital and to be able to make a kid smile.”And with Dion and the Flames involved in everything from radio-thons to wheelchair floor hockey, they're working hard to keep thesmiles coming.

With half the season under their belts and the team currently sit-ting atop the Northwest division, Phaneuf is quick to note that thechanges made to the team in the off-season have worked well notjust on the ice, but in the locker room too. “The acquisitions we'vemade in the off-season have been real good ones,” he says.“They're all real good guys, and they've really fit in well.” Whatabout coaching? The team has had three coaches over the pastfour years. How does this affect the dynamic? “Whether it'scoaching or players, there are always changes made . . . buthaving Mike [Keenan] now, a very experienced coach, he's comein and done a real good job of teaching us from his experiences,”says Phaneuf. “We definitely didn't finish the way we wanted tolast year, but you have to learn from that and move forward.”

And moving forward is something that Dion Phaneuf will con-tinue to do in all aspects of his game, and in a week that sawShawn Avery receive a suspension for an offensive statementhe made to the media prior to a game against Calgary, Phaneufmade a savory offensive statement of his own by assisting onall four Flames goals against the Blues three days later. Now,just after the first week of the new year, Phaneuf is sixth inFlames scoring and is tied for fourth overall in the NHL forassists by a defenseman.

After the interview, we had a bit of fun by askingDion a few questions with the only stipulation

being that he doesn't take too long to think abouthis answers. Here's what he had to say:

Aside from winning a Stanley Cup what would you most liketo accomplish in your career?

“Win a Norris Trophy.”

Most memorable hit?You guessed it. “Denis Hamel of the Ottawa Senators”

Hockey at the NHL level, is it instinct or intellect?“Instinct”

Favourite rink to play at on the road?“Edmonton”

Toughest player to play against?“There's a lot of them. There's so many great players

in the league.”

Care to name one?“Nope”

Most memorable minor hockey tournament?“The Brick Tournament is the one that sticks out for me. We wonthat tournament and it was pretty special. I remember that from

my minor hockey days.”