MONTREAL -- Max Domi feels like he is being watched.
Whenever the Montreal Canadiens forward sits at his dressing-room stall at Bell Centre, he can sense the presence of past Montreal greats all around him. Photos of legends such as Maurice "Rocket" Richard and Patrick Roy are a constant reminder of the Canadiens' fabled history, which includes 24 Stanley Cup titles.
Domi need only peer over his left shoulder while putting on his equipment to see the image of Hockey Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau staring back at him.
"It's surreal, right?" he said recently. "It doesn't really sink in. It still hasn't sunk in. I don't know if it ever will. But to wear the same jersey and same logo that those guys all wear, whether it's Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau, Patrick Roy, the list goes on. Even if you can kind of learn whatever you can and implement that in the smallest fraction possible, you're going to have a pretty good career.
"It's a huge honor to wear that jersey and it's a privilege. So you make the most of it, work hard every day and you're respectful. You're paying respects to the guys who wore it before you."
Domi, 23, has welcomed the tradition and spotlight of Montreal from the moment he was traded to the Canadiens by the Arizona Coyotes for forward Alex Galchenyuk on June 15. Six months later, he'll face his former team for the first time when the Canadiens visit the Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; FS-A, TSN2, RDS, NHL.TV).
"It's going to be weird, for sure," Domi said. "I've never been traded in my life, so it'll be different. But it'll be cool to see some of the old training staff and coaches and obviously my teammates. I'm definitely excited for it."
Domi, who was selected No. 12 by the Coyotes in the 2013 NHL Draft, had 135 points (36 goals, 99 assists) in 222 games over three seasons with Arizona.
"You didn't get recognized much there," he said.
The same can't be said for life in Montreal, where the sport is part of the cultural fabric of the community. Domi is comfortable in such a hockey fishbowl, having grown up in it while his father, Tie, was playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1995-2006.
With players such as Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph around, it was the type of environment that prepared Max at a young age for the constant attention that comes with playing in Montreal. In the process he also learned that the best players in the game put in countless hours of sweat to be just that.
"Yeah, I think obviously on the ice is one thing, but then off the ice, seeing how hard those guys worked in all that stuff, it translates to how I came into the NHL myself, taking those habits and trying to put them into my daily routine," Domi said. "When you're 5, 6 years old and you see guys like Mats Sundin after a game, sweating on a bike after an overtime win, that sticks with you your whole life and those are the lessons I've learned."
It also helped him deal with the spotlight.
"The tradition of hockey as part of life in Montreal is so deep rooted and Max has embraced it from Day One," said Tie, 49. "He knew what he was walking into. He knows the NHL life. It's kind of what he grew up in in Toronto. And now he's living his dream. Not to take away anything away from Arizona. He played three years there. He really enjoyed himself there. But then he was traded to Montreal. And now it seems he's really embraced the pressure.
"I think he's adapted so quickly because he was around so many great players and role models since he was a kid. Mats, Mario (Lemieux), Teemu (Selanne), those guys are my close friends. They're his uncles. He's been around them his entire life. And he saw how humble they were no matter how much success they had. Especially Mats and Mario, they've prepared him for the next stage. He takes what they say to heart far more than he does me, especially when it comes to scoring goals. He's matured a lot. He jokes now, he says he wishes he would have listened to me earlier."
Joseph, the Maple Leafs' starting goalie from 1998-2002, said it wasn't from a lack of trying on Tie's part.
"I remember all you would hear from the boards was Tie yelling, 'Max, Max Max,' when Max was out on the ice playing as a boy," Joseph said with a laugh.
On game nights in Toronto, young Max would spend hours playing ministick hockey with two of Joseph's sons, Taylor and Tristan, in the team family room. Taylor was a year older than Max, Tristan a year younger.
"They'd gang up and try to intimidate Max," Joseph said. "But it's hard to intimidate a Domi.
"The man Max has grown into is amazing and inspirational. Coming into Montreal, he could have handled it two ways. He could have arrived with a sense of entitlement, being the son of a well-known ex-NHLer. But it says a lot that he's done it with humility and respect."
Never moreso than when it came time to choose his number with the Canadiens: No. 13 in honor of Sundin, the Hall of Fame forward who was captain of the Maple Leafs from 1997-2008.
"He called me and asked me if he could wear it," Sundin said. "I mean, he's not even playing for the Leafs and he still wanted my permission. I was flattered and honored by that."
Sundin, who lives in his native Sweden, flew to Toronto for the NHL Alumni Awards Gala on Oct. 22, then traveled to Montreal the next day to see Max and the Canadiens host the Calgary Flames. Max didn't disappoint, getting two assists in Montreal's 3-2 win.
"I wasn't going back to Sweden without seeing him play," Sundin said. "I'm so proud of him. I mean, he certainly didn't learn how to score like that from his dad."
Tie had 245 points (104 goals, 141 assists) in 1,020 NHL games with the Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers; Max has 168 points (50 goals, 118 assists) in 257 NHL games, including a Canadiens-high 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 35 games, primarily playing on a line with Jonathan Drouin (29 points; 11 goals, 18 assists).
"We're close off the ice," Domi said of Drouin and himself. "I think when you have a good relationship off the ice, it translates to on the ice. We think the game pretty similar and we have a lot of skill. He can make plays, he's a shooter too. It's pretty easy to play with him."
It has all helped make the Domi-Canadiens marriage a successful one.
"He appreciates being an NHL player," Montreal captain Shea Weber said. "And an NHL player who plays in Montreal. You can tell by the way he's playing. He's playing with energy. He's playing with passion.
"I think he's been our best player for most of the year so far."
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://almosthuman99.com
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/babes/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://almosthuman99.com/polls/hunks/hunkofthemonth.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment