He recalled a kind of montage of images from his childhood leading up to this moment as he prepared for his first shifts. "I was pretty excited," he said in a phone conversation after the team's first two games, both victories. It is no small balancing act, but he has balanced it well in the early going.ĭomi recalled the blur of his first NHL game, how his teammates had joked with him beforehand - he was the only player on the roster playing in his first NHL game - and telling him to enjoy the moment. That is a burden he must shoulder while learning the NHL game and lifestyle like any other first-year player. He was loathe to heap too much pressure on Domi or any of the others, though, refusing to talk about expectations other than to say he hoped the rebuilding Coyotes wouldn't be out of the playoff picture by November.ĭomi understands he isn't just another rookie, but part of the new image of a franchise that has known so much uncertainty and disappointment in recent years. Maloney told that all of the team's young players had impressed him during training camp, that there'd been no disappointments. This was the world waiting for Domi on the other side of that line.ĭomi is being counted on to be a part of the fabric of the Coyotes' future. The day after this conversation, Domi joined captain Shane Doan and superstar defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in new jerseys for a photo shoot that would provide the main art for the Arizona Republic's season preview. And Tippett pointed out to reporters that Domi hadn't scored yet during the preseason (in fact, very few Coyotes had managed that feat) and that was, in part, Domi's job coming into camp.Įveryone knew, though, that Domi wasn't going anywhere but into a new house in Scottsdale and a prominent place on the Coyotes' roster when the season began. ![]() In the final days before head coach Dave Tippett and GM Don Maloney settled on the final roster for the Coyotes' season, there was something illusory at play. You're eating the same stuff over and over again, but it's good because you're close and you really only have one thing to focus on, which is hockey, so it's definitely a good spot to be." "This is when you start getting a little antsy in the same hotel room. "It's like the final stretch," Domi said. In fact, after having been sent back to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League the past two Septembers - he remembers his roommates at the SpringHill Suites, the exact days games took place, the exact point in the preseason schedule his NHL experience came to an end - the last thing he wants to do is to give the appearance he feels he has accomplished anything, or is assuming too much. The 20-year-old is a regular at the health food restaurant in the sprawling open air mall next to Gila River Arena, but he's also got his housing for the coming season set up in Scottsdale, closer to the team's practice facility.ĭomi admitted he's reticent to discuss those housing plans, though, because he doesn't want to appear as though he's assuming anything. Now, he's edging his toes across this hockey Rubicon, if you will, for the final time.Īs he settles in for a chat at the team's practice facility in Scottsdale a few days from the start of the regular season, Domi remains partially ensconced in the SpringHill Suites hotel that has served as his training camp home the past three years. Everything.ĭomi, the son of longtime tough guy Tie Domi and the 12th overall draft pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2013, has approached this line before. It's a line that changes everything once you cross it. It's the line separating their world before entering the league and all that took place there - the practices and games as a junior or college star, the NHL draft, the training camp disappointments - and the world of being an NHL player. Max Domi is straddling a line no one can see, but all young NHL players know is a very real presence in their lives. Hard work paying off for Max Domi, who now faces adjustments You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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