Beginning his NHL career in Calgary, Dion Phaneuf was a star before he earned it.
Meanwhile, down in Nashville, Shea Weber remains anonymous outside the circle of hardcore hockey fans. But it looks like he's finally overcoming hockey's built-in northern bias, as Pierre LeBrun reports at ESPN.com.
"I would say Shea has gotten a lot of recognition this year," Predators GM David Poile said. "I think he's certainly a Norris Trophy candidate. Maybe Phaneuf got some recognition over the past few years, but Shea is catching up both in recognition and in his play. … Who's to say who will be the better player in the long run?"
Right now, Weber is the defenseman you would rather have.
While Phaneuf is a phenomenal young talent, his Norris Trophy nomination last spring was prematire, mostly a reflection of lofty status in a Canadian town.
Seeing him backslide this year is no surprise. Like Weber, he's a work in progress.
But Weber plays in hockey purgatory, so his rave reviews have greater value. A guy in Tennesee has to be that much better than a guy in Alberta just to get noticed.
Hockey rules in Canada, and nobody need apologize for that. But the lopsided media attention - focused heavily north of the border - leads to some skewed perspectives.
Phaneuf, Luke Schenn and Carey Price are already marquee names on Hockey Night in Canada. Weber, Drew Doughty and Steve Mason... not so much.
In Calgary, Toronto or Montreal, a good young player can coast to superstar status on a wave of hype. In hockey purgatory, every headline is earned.
Photo: Weber takes out Detroit's Dan Cleary (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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