Article content

During his seven minute media scrum on the first official day of training camp, Dion Phaneuf’s constant smile made him look more like a rookie than a veteran entering his 13th NHL season.

The Senators defenceman is clearly fired up for not just the upcoming campaign, but the rituals preceding it that others of his status might consider mundane.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Phaneuf giddy with excitement for start of second camp with Senators Back to video

Part of his excitement has to do with a pre-season game against the New Jersey Devils on Sept. 25 in O’Leary, P.E.I. — which is both the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2017 and very near where Phaneuf and his wife, actress Elisha Cuthbert, spend their summers.

The couple will host a dinner for the team when it is there.

“I’m really looking forward to getting an opportunity to play out in P.E.I.,” said Phaneuf. “What a great thing for me personally. I’ve got a lot of family out there, a lot of friends. O’Leary, PEI is pretty excited and I think the guys are really going to enjoy their time. We’ll have a nice meal, probably some lobsters, some oysters, some good sea food. We’ll be ready to go out there and have a good game for the fans there.”