BROSSARD, Qc. — Max Domi carried a wooden hockey stick everywhere he went growing up in Mississauga, Ontario. His father is known as one of the more iconic players of the 2000s. He even considers Mats Sundin, a Maple Leafs legend, an uncle.
Considering all the ties to the Toronto Maple Leafs, it is interesting to see Domi don the bleu-blanc-et-rouge of the Canadiens. Domi himself recognizes the irony, growing up with a front row seat to Leafs mania through his father, Tie, only to end up in their rival’s apparel. To boot, Domi will wear number 13 in honour of legendary Leafs captain Sundin.
Domi, in a #13 Habs jersey. Worn in homage of Toronto Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin.
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) June 30, 2018
“It’s a little weird to see 13 with the last name Domi on the back of a Habs jersey. But I don’t really care, I think it looks great.” pic.twitter.com/Jwtx088X4w
“It’s a little bit weird to see 13, with the last name Domi on the back of a Habs jersey,” Domi said to the horde of media at the Canadiens practice facility in Brossard Saturday afternoon. “But I don’t really care, I think it looks great.”
The Canadiens announced the trade for Max Domi after 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on a Friday night. Montreal gave Arizona forward Alex Galchenyuk in return. Both players hope to benefit from the change of scenery. Galchenyuk scored 19 goals and 51 points last season, but seemingly couldn’t make it work at centre in the eyes of the Canadiens’ brass. Domi scored nine goals last season, but four of them were empty-net goals.
The 23-year old joked that he didn’t shoot the puck that well last season. His shot conversion rate has gone from 11.5 percent in his rookie year to six percent during the 2017-18 season, but he has his “uncle” on his back to improve his shooting.
“[Sundin] still sends me little workouts to do throughout the summer,” Domi said. “If I don’t shoot the puck, which I didn’t shoot the puck that well last year, he’s the first guy to text me,”
Domi told the media he wasn’t sure what role he’d play with the Canadiens, but he was excited about the players and management he’d get to play with in Montreal.
“You’ve got a general manager who’s been a part of Stanley Cup teams. You’ve got a coach that’s won a Stanley Cup,” Domi said. “You’ve got older guys like Shea Weber who’s been a guy that I’ve been looking up to before I even played in the NHL. You’ve got the best goalie in the NHL. You’ve got guys like Brendan Gallagher, guys like [Andrew Shaw]. The list really goes on.”
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The winger fielded questions from a media scrum that was already in the building to see the Canadiens’ development camp. The forward will likely see more scribes and audio recorders in Montreal versus what he saw in Arizona, but he’s ready to embrace the newfound attention. It helps that he’s had practice, seeing his father, Tie, go under the media microscope in Toronto.
“This is where I wanted to be and I couldn’t be happier,” Domi said. “Some people might not want to play in a market like this. Other people might want to. Other people might not care. I definitely truly am excited to be here and I want to be here. I’m hoping that this brings out the best to me,”
Now that Domi will be a Canadien for the foreseeable future, the question is whether his father will trade allegiances. Domi says he’ll try to get Tie to pose for a photo with a Habs jersey for the first home game of the season.
“If you would’ve told anyone in their right mind five, ten years ago, that Tie Domi was going to be a Montreal Canadiens fan, they would’ve looked you and laughed,” Domi said. “I’m his son and I’m representing one of the most historic franchises in all of sport and he’s the biggest Habs fan in the world now.”