(Toronto) In Toronto, Tie Domi is, to this day, a living legend.
For a decade, from the mid-90s to the mid-2000s, it was he who commanded respect in the Queen City, while being capable of holding a stick: his 2,265 minutes of punishment in 777 matches left a mark on the imagination , but his 196 points are nothing to sneeze at either. A legend, we said.
His son Max, even if he does not have at all the same style of play as his father, will therefore have a lot to do for history to remember his first name in the arena where Tie is almost immortal.
It is precisely to try to write his own story that he will wear number 11 this Wednesday evening for the first game of the Leafs season. The Habs will be the visiting club in this game as Canadian as a pair of denim pants and jackets.
Max Domi’s two lucky numbers, 13 and 16, were not available. The 13 is sewn on a banner in the name of Mats Sundin above the Scotiabank Arena. And the 16 is the property of Mitch Marner, one of the pillars of the team.
The 11th is not very significant. “It was my little cousin who chose it,” explained Max Domi on Wednesday morning.
Its main characteristic: it’s not 28. “That’s my old father’s number,” laughed my son.
However, the jersey became available earlier this week after the Leafs traded Sam Lafferty. Has the idea crossed his mind to change? ” Absolutely not. »
He doesn’t deny anything about Tie’s heritage. “For many years, he had the toughest role in hockey, and he was the best at doing it,” Max said.
Today, however, is his day. The one he dreamed of when he was little. The one that will see him make his debut in the city that saw him grow up.
Like his teammates, he is not moving forward on his team’s goals this season. “We want to win, that’s all. »
“It’s going to be a long journey,” he said. You just have to start somewhere. »
At 7 p.m., against the Canadian, for example.
The meeting will also mark the NHL debut of Fraser Minten.
Second round pick of the Leafs (38th overall) in 2022, the forward defied all odds by landing a job at 19.
Habs fans who listened to the preseason matches may remember him. It was in fact Minten who, a little less than two weeks ago, stole a puck from Justin Barron deep in the CH zone before giving it to Matthew Knies, who scored. Outnumbered, too.
On Tuesday, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving admitted that the name was not on his radar at the start of training camp.
“I had three groups in mind,” he said with a hand gesture to illustrate his point.
“There was the probable formation, that of the Marlies [leafs’ farm club] and the others. Minten was in the others. »
However, it was this young man that the CEO called last Sunday to tell him that he had won his bet. Minten was then at his teammate Morgan Rielly’s house for the Thanksgiving meal. This isn’t the worst news to receive between two bites of turkey.
On Wednesday, the principal concerned answered the usual questions about his family who will attend the match and about his level of nervousness a few hours before the big evening. Nothing surprising there.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe, however, spoke of the “message” that all players in the organization should receive seeing Minten where he is.
“We had other options,” Keefe noted. There are guys who have already played for us who left for the Marlies, because we felt that [Minten] was ahead of the pack. It’s important for the players to see that, those who are here and those who aren’t. Never take anything for granted. Things change quickly in this league. »
Against CH, Minten will be used at the center of the third line, with another rookie, Matthew Knies, and veteran Calle Jarnkrok on his right.
The Canadian did not train Wednesday morning in Toronto. The reservists nevertheless skated. We saw goalkeepers Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembeault, but also attacker Michael Pezzetta and Justin Barron. It is therefore possible to conclude that Arber However, this was a strictly administrative maneuver.
