It hasn’t taken Shane O’Brien long to become one of the most-liked teammates on the Avalanche. From his outgoing nature to his willingness to stand up for a teammate on the ice, O’Brien is considered the epitome of a team guy. Which is what makes what happened to him as a member of the Vancouver Canucks seem ironic.

Things are going well for O’Brien on and off the ice, but near the end of the 2009-10 season with the Canucks, his reputation as a team- first guy took a big hit. He was benched for three games for disciplinary reasons. There were reports of O’Brien spending late nights at a local nightclub, which may have contributed to him being late to practice. He was labeled by some as a party boy who was more interested in having a good time than playing hockey.

While expressing contrition after the Canucks benched him and saying he learned from the episode, O’Brien now says Vancouver’s treatment of him was a bit over the top.

“Looking back on it, maybe they could have done a better job of sweeping it under the rug or maybe protecting me a little bit,” O’Brien said. “But the coach (Alain Vigneault) obviously was trying to send a message. I don’t agree with the way he did it, but he did it the way he wanted to do it.”

Not that O’Brien, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound defenseman, absolves himself.

“You live and learn. Obviously, playing in that hockey market with the media attention they get, it got a little blown out of proportion. But at the same time, I put myself in that situation and definitely learned from it,” he said. “The lesson is, to be a professional. There’s a time and a place to have fun and blow off a little bit of steam, but we get paid a really good living and you’ve got to be responsible not only to yourself but your teammates.”

Avalanche coach Joe Sacco, a stickler for discipline and not afraid to put players on the bench for not working hard, was aware of the episode in Vancouver, but he and the Avs weren’t dissuaded from signing O’Brien this summer as a free agent. They are happy they did now.

“He’s been a real nice addition to our lineup. He plays hard and plays within himself,” Sacco said. “Shane’s a little bit older now (28), a little bit wiser. I had a good talk with him at the start of the year, and he just wants to play hockey now. Every player at the start of their career probably does something they wish they could take back. I don’t even know all the stuff that happened there, but you hear stuff. He’s been great here, and I see no issues as far as that side.”

Avs defenseman Ryan O’Byrne has nothing but good things to say about his new teammate — and not just because they’re both Irish.

“He’s been great for us. He’s really stepped in and helped our D. He’s a vocal guy in the room and on the bench, and I think we needed that,” O’Byrne said. “We were a little quiet last year. He’s a guy that’s always talking, always getting guys going. He’s played (390) games in this league, so he’s got a lot of respect around the league. He’s been a big part of our success so far. He’s an old-school kind of guy, just comes to the rink every day with a smile on his face.”

O’Brien earned more respect in the room Friday night against Edmonton when he immediately fought 6-6 Oilers defenseman Andy Sutton for a hit to the head of Avs rookie Gabriel Landeskog, which earned Sutton a five-game suspension from the NHL on Tuesday.

“I told him thanks, that I appreciated it,” Landeskog said. “Those are the things that build team chemistry.”

That, ultimately, is what O’Brien wants to be known for — adding positives to the team mix.

“We’ve got a young team here, and I want to be a leader and set a good example,” he said.

Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com

Phoenix at Colorado

7:30 p.m. today, ALT, 950 AM

Avalanche: Semyon Varlamov will start in goal for Colorado. . . . There were no line changes at Tuesday’s practice. . . . Avs rookie Gabriel Landeskog, victimized by an elbow to the head from Edmonton’s Andy Sutton on Friday that resulted in Sutton’s five-game suspension from the NHL, took the high road when asked about the hit. “I should have been more aware of what was coming,” Landeskog said.

Coyotes: Phoenix recently acquired Cal O’Reilly, the brother of Avs center Ryan O’Reilly, for a fourth-round draft pick from Nashville. Cal O’Reilly currently is sidelined with a groin injury. . . . Phoenix has killed 34 of the last 37 power plays it has faced. . . . Former Av Radim Vrbata broke a seven-game scoring drought with two goals in Phoenix’s last victory, over Los Angeles. Adrian Dater, The Denver Post

Spotlight on Shane Doan: One of the NHL’s most respected players, the longtime captain of the Coyotes is still playing well at age 35. He entered Tuesday with 10 points for a Coyotes team that remains difficult to play against.