Maple Leafs' Domis: Like Father, But Not Quite Like Son
One feel-good hockey story came last night when Max Domi played his 800th NHL game. The milestone gives us a little family story that reminds us how strange and wonderful the sport can be. The latest chapter comes courtesy of Max Domi, who recently stepped onto the ice for the same team that his father had given so many games to - the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That’s a milestone worth tipping your hat to. Eight hundred games means you’ve survived the bumps, the trades, the expectations, and the long grind of an NHL life. Not many players make it that far.
What makes the moment even more interesting is the name on the back of the jersey. Max’s father, Tie Domi, played 1,020 NHL games, many of them with these same Maple Leafs. When you put those numbers together, the Domis land in a pretty rare place — one of the few father-son duos where both carved out long NHL careers.
That’s no small thing.
The Two Domis Were Very Different Players.
If you watched Tie play in Toronto, you know exactly what he was. He was a hard-nosed winger who made life miserable for the other team. He hit everything that moved, dropped the gloves when needed, and somehow became one of the most beloved players the Leafs had during that era. Maple Leafs fans adored him. Tie played with a kind of fearless energy that connected with the crowd.
Max’s game, of course, is different. He’s not the heavyweight fighter his dad was. Instead, Max brings speed, skill, and a little bit of creative chaos. He zips around the ice, pushes the pace, and plays with an edge that — if you watch closely — still carries a hint of his father’s spirit. They have different tools, but they share the same competitive fire.
The Maple Leafs Chapter of the Domi Story
Max even marked his 800th game in a fitting way. He scored a goal on a beautiful setup from William Nylander. It was a small moment in a long season, but one that added another page to the Domi family story in Toronto. The funny thing about hockey families is that the comparisons never stop. Fans will always measure Max against his father.
But the truth is, Max doesn’t need to be his dad. He just needs to be Max, which makes him another member of a pretty remarkable hockey family who has carved out a long NHL career of his own.