Imagine being a kid growing up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of a beloved Toronto Maple Leaf, and getting the chance to play for that team. It sounds surreal, almost like something out of a movie. Well for Max Domi, it is a reality after he signed with the Maple Leafs on July 2, 2023. Tie Domi may not be an NHL legend but he is most definitely a Leafs legend and could be one of the most loved players in franchise history.
Related: Maple Leafs Sign Max Domi to 1-Year Deal
As a result of Max’s signing with the Maple Leafs, we will look at both his and his father’s time in the NHL and how both could be fan favourites during their time in Toronto.
Tie’s Leafs Legacy
Tie was selected by the Maple Leafs in the second round during the 1988 NHL Draft and played 12 seasons over three stints with the club. He was known for his fighting, which is why Leafs Nation fell in love with him. He was never the biggest guy, however, when he dropped the gloves it felt like he was the biggest guy on the ice. In his 777 games with the Maple Leafs, he totaled 2,265 penalty minutes (PIMS), putting him first in franchise history. He also played three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and three seasons with the New York Rangers and finished his career with a total of 3,515 PIMS, which is third in NHL history in that category.
He also had famous moments that made the fanbase love him even more, including punching Rangers’ defenceman Ulf Samuelsson, resulting in him being knocked out on the ice. However, his most notable moment in a Maple Leafs jersey was when a Philadelphia Flyers fan was heckling him in the penalty box, and when the fan tried to climb the glass, the glass broke which put him in the box, where Domi got the best of him.
Domi is also the all-time leader in fights in the NHL with 339. Although he didn’t produce a lot offensively, he still managed to find his way onto the scoresheet. In his 777 games in the blue and white, he scored 84 goals and 112 assists for 196 total points. If you haven’t yet figured it out, it was Domi’s loyalty to both the organization and his teammates that made him loved in Toronto. There wasn’t a single player in the NHL that he was afraid of, as he would stand his ground and go toe-to-toe with the best enforcers of his time.
Max’s Journey Home
Max Domi was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but calls Toronto home, which is where he hopes to find his final home in the NHL. According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, he mentioned, “I think the thing here to realize is that he [Domi] wants this to be his NHL home for a long time. He wants to be a Leaf, he’s got the bloodlines to be a Leaf. He will do anything to stay a Leaf, he never wants to leave.” This is exactly what every member of Leafs Nation wanted to hear when he finally came home to the Maple Leafs. However, the journey wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows for him.
Domi is joining his seventh team in eight seasons, which has made some question why he keeps changing teams. But he now hopes that the Maple Leafs are the last stop on his NHL journey, as does Leafs Nation. Coming home to Toronto and playing for the Maple Leafs is almost like a storybook ending. The only thing that it is missing is his jersey number is going to be 11 rather than his dad’s iconic 28 which Sam Lafferty wears.
Domi is coming off the best season of his career. He had 20 goals and 36 assists for 56 points and took less than what he was expected to get on the open market. For Domi, he will never be his dad because that style of player is in the past, but there is an opening for the team’s pest now that Michael Bunting signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. Between himself, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Ryan Reaves this team got a lot tougher, which was needed.
Domi brings a different element than the other two as the passion to play for the Maple Leafs is much greater for a son of an iconic Leaf. Having said that, Max doesn’t need to be Tie, all he needs to do is play his in-your-face, get-under-your-skin style of game and he will be loved.
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Only time will tell how Max fairs with the Maple Leafs, but the bar doesn’t need to be set high. His expectation should be to come in and play his style. Although it may be hard, he needs to block out his dad’s reputation with the organization and make his own reputation for the name on the back of his jersey.
