2 weeks Ago By Steve Simmons
Article content It’s easy to forget, because he’s Tie Domi’s son, because he’s been around here forever, because he’s a bit of an unfinished work of art, that this is Max Domi’s 10th year in the National Hockey League. His fifth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It seems in so many ways that he’s still an exuberant little kid, still trying to fit in and find his place with the Maple Leafs, still trying to figure out who he is and what he will be when he grows up.
But he’s not a little kid, he’s 30 years old. He plays all over the place for the Leafs, depending on the night, the moment, he doesn’t score very often because scoring isn’t really a big part of his game anymore. And then the bright lights came on late Tuesday night and a game that seemed to be getting away from the Maple Leafs was won when Domi scored in the first overtime period.
An unusual kind of goal for Domi. An unusual kind of offensive play for the rarely offensive Simon Benoit. A screened shot up high beating Linus Ullmark three minutes and nine seconds into extra time and the Leafs have now won two playoff games in a row for the first time to start a series for the first time with two wins in 23 years.
Back then, when Leafs beat the Islanders early on, Max Domi was just seven years old and hanging onto his dad in the Leafs dressing room on off days. “My dad’s going to kill me for doing what I did,” said the prodigal son, with his greatest moment of his up and down two years with the Leafs. He wasn’t going to kill him for scoring the goal.
That he will be bursting at the seams over. But with sunglasses on and a baseball cap covering his head, the elder Domi doesn’t care to be recognized at Leafs games watching his son play. And he believes, as Mark Messier once taught him, that act like you’ve been there before.
Max Domi celebrated like he’d never been there before because he hasn’t been and because the moment deserved it. He didn’t ride his stick after scoring in overtime the way Tiger Williams might have ridden his stick years ago. But he celebrated the way the moment with pure joy and glee.
He went a little over the top — and who wouldn’t — which was understandable considering who Domi is and what he has meant to the Leafs in his two years in Toronto. He’s a centre when the Leafs need a centre and a winger when the Leafs need a winger and he gets involved when he needs to get involved, because that’s what Domis do. Tie played 86 Stanley Cup playoff games for the Leafs: Only George Armstrong, Tim Horton, Bob Baun, Dave Keon, Bob Pulford, the stars of the 60s championship teams, winners of a multitude of Cups, played more for the Blue and White.
And there was Tie, with more Toronto playoff games on his record than Darryl Sittler or Mats Sundin played, more than Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour, more than Frank Mahovlich or Red Kelly, screaming and celebrating after his son had scored. Tuesday night, though, was Max Domi’s ninth playoff game as a Leaf. He’s only 77 games behind his dad, but he is now one overtime goal ahead.
It was Domi from Benoit. Who picked that one on television at the end of three periods. It occasionally drives coach Craig Berube a little bit nuts that Domi has this wonderful wrist shot and more often than not he defers on offence without shooting.
He has become pass first almost every night he plays and he’s a highly skilled passer. The coach won’t admit today he wants him to shoot more often. But he certainly enjoyed the ending and the fact the Leafs are up two games after two games played.
In his only two regular seasons as a Leaf, Max has scored just 17 goals. That’s a number he’s expected to score in one season instead of two. But that’s not relevant today.
After the Leafs almost let this game get away from them, Domi used his speed, and the screens the Ottawa Senators put in front of Ullmark, and he took advantage of a sweet pass by the not usually sweet Benoit and everything after that was a bit of a blur. It was the kind of goal that seems to end so many overtime games. Guy not expected to score, scores.
Guy not expected to set up play, sets up play. “I couldn’t be happier for (Max),” said Anthony Stolarz, the Maple Leafs early playoff MVP with his stellar play in goal. “He works his ass off.
And it’s great that something big happened for him.” The Leafs have six players who grew up in or around Toronto, understanding the passion of Maple Leafs fans and all the years of disappointment that surrounds it. Domi grew up knowing all of this.
Same for Mitch Marner and Chris Tanev. Same for John Tavares and Scott Laughton. There’s six GTA players on the Leafs, including Steven Lorentz, and they understand, better than anyone else, what it is like to succeed and fail and succeed again at playoff time.
Just wanting something great to happen doesn’t necessarily mean it will. Being part of something great as its happening — like scoring an overtime winner — that’s a legacy moment for any Leaf player. And for Domi, you can say it means more because in this case, considering who he is and where he’s from, it does mean more.
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