Max Domi signed with Toronto, the same team his father became synonymous with in the '90s and 2000s. Here are other notable father-son duos that played for the same NHL team over the years.
When Max Domi signed a one-year, $3-million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, he did more than just sign with a new team. He signed with an organization that had already been steeped in the Domi name.
This, of course, was through his father and former Leafs enforcer Tie Domi, who played 12 of his 18 NHL seasons with the club.
Tie’s Leaf years – and his whole career, for that matter – were filled with great tough-guy energy. So much so that by the time he retired, he had amassed a whopping 3,515 penalty minutes, good enough for third all-time in NHL history. While the younger Domi carries some of the grittiness his father did, he is more offensively talented, which could make him a fan favorite in Leaf land.
While a Domi being back in Toronto is exciting and intriguing, other players past and present have laced up their skates and put on the same jersey their father once donned.
While we wait to see how the Domi legend continues in Toronto, let’s take a look at some notable fathers and sons who have played for the same team, whether it was at different times or, in one case, at the same time.
King Clancy (father) and Terry Clancy (son): Toronto Maple Leafs
Speaking of notable Leafs, Francis Michael ‘King’ Clancy began his career in Ottawa, where he made a name as a small but extremely tough defenseman. He won two Stanley Cups with the Senators in 1923 and 1927 before being traded to the Leafs in 1930. He spent seven seasons in Toronto and helped the Leafs win the Cup in 1932.
Clancy’s son, Terry, followed in his father’s footsteps and began his NHL career in 1967 with the Oakland Seals, but after just one season, he was traded to the Leafs. Unfortunately, Terry didn’t have the same big-league success his father did, spending most of his time in the minors. In parts of three seasons with the Leafs, which would be the extent of his NHL career, the younger Clancy put up a modest 12 points in 86 games.
Bernie Geoffrion (father), Danny Geoffrion (son) and Blake Geoffrion (grandson): Montreal Canadiens
Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion spent all but two of his 16 NHL seasons with Montreal. He was a true trailblazer for the sport, as one of the early pioneers of the slapshot as well as becoming only the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season. The first to do it was his teammate, Maurice Richard. By the end of his tenure with the Canadiens, Geoffrion had secured an incredible six Stanley Cups, two Art Ross Trophies, the Calder Trophy and a Hart Trophy to boot.
His son, Danny, was picked eighth overall by Montreal in the 1978 NHL draft. He only played 32 games with the Habs and was traded to the Winnipeg Jets, where he would play in parts of two more NHL seasons. And Danny’s son, Blake, couldn’t come close to his grandfather’s time in Montreal, either. Blake spent most of his season-and-a-half with the Habs in the AHL, only putting up two points with the NHL squad by the time he became a pro scout for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013.
Emile Bouchard (father) and Pierre Bouchard (son): Montreal Canadiens
Emile ‘Butch’ Bouchard entered the NHL in 1941 with the Canadiens and spent all 15 seasons of his career there. The defensive defenseman didn’t have flashy numbers, but what he lacked in points, he made up for in Stanley Cups. By the end of his career, Bouchard had helped the Habs win four Cup championships.
Unlike the previous examples, Emile’s son actually saw prolonged success with his father’s former team. Pierre Bouchard spent the first eight seasons of his 12-year NHL career with Montreal. While his stats weren’t eye-popping, much like his father, he did manage to one-up Emile, collecting five Cups with the team. The nine Stanley Cups between them are also the most of any father-son duo in NHL history.
Gordie Howe (father), Mark Howe (son) and Marty Howe (son): Hartford Whalers
Whereas the other players on this list played for the same teams their fathers had in the past, Gordie Howe literally played on the same team as his sons. Howe retired after the 1970-71 season with Detroit, took a year off, and then joined his sons on the WHA’s Houston Aeros for four seasons. They then became NHL teammates in 1979 when the three joined the Hartford Whalers.
While Marty struggled in Hartford and throughout his six-year NHL career, his father and brother excelled. Despite being 51 years old at the time, Mr. Hockey still managed to put up 41 points in 80 games, while his son Mark had 80 points in 74 games, the third-best on the team that season. While Gordie only played one season in Hartford with his sons before retiring for good, it is still the only instance in NHL history where a father has played with his sons.
Ray Bourque (father) and Chris Bourque (son): Boston Bruins
Ray Bourque may have won his only Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, but it was in Boston where he spent most of his memorable NHL career. Bourque was a dominant presence with the Bruins, almost achieving 100 points as a defenseman multiple times throughout his 21 seasons with the club. On top of that, he took home plenty of hardware, too, including five Norris Trophies, the Calder Trophy and the King Clancy Trophy.
What about his son, Chris? Well, his time in Boston came in the 2012-13 season. His short career up to that point had seen AHL success but little at the NHL level. His time in Boston was much the same. He spent most of the season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, where he put up nearly a point per game. In his 18 matches with the Boston Bruins, though, he had just four points. They would subsequently be the last games he played in the NHL.
Peter Stastny (father), Paul Stastny (son) and Yan Stastny (son): Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques and St. Louis Blues
While Paul Stastny couldn’t have played for the Nordiques as his father had for much of his career, he did spend his first eight seasons with the Avalanche, which is where the Nordiques relocated to in the summer of 1995. Both saw success and growth during their time with these clubs, but Peter Stastny was just on another level, having seven seasons with 100-plus points and, most notably, a 139-point sophomore season in 1981-82.
The father and son also both played for the Blues along with Paul’s older brother, Yan Stastny. Peter’s time in St. Louis came at the very end of his career, and it showed as he played only 23 games across two seasons with the Blues. Yan didn’t see much success in St. Louis, either, spending most of his time in the AHL. Paul, however, fared pretty well, though, playing four seasons with the Blues and never having his point total drop below 40.
Mike Foligno (father), Nick Foligno (son) and Marcus Foligno (son): Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres
Mike Foligno played 15 seasons in the NHL across four teams. He spent most of his time with two teams, and each son ended up playing for one of those squads. The more prominent of the two is the Buffalo Sabres, where he played for 10 seasons, putting up at least 40 points each time. The Sabres drafted his son Marcus in the fourth round in 2011. He was with the team for six seasons, though his stats didn’t come close to that of his father’s time in Buffalo.
The oldest son, Nick, has had a long and fairly successful NHL career. He was traded to Toronto in April 2021, a place where his father had played four seasons near the end of his own career. Mike Foligno’s time with the Leafs was rather forgettable, and the same can be said for Nick. He played in 11 total games for the club (regular season and playoffs) and managed five points before the Leafs were upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round in 2021.
J.P. Parise (father) and Zach Parise (son): Minnesota North Stars/Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders
Unlike a few of the other sons listed, Zach Parise actually had a solid career in Minnesota like his dad. Sure, it was the North Stars and not the Wild during J.P.’s time with the team, but let’s not let a franchise difference take away how good both father and son were for Minnesota. The two had similar regular-season success in Minnesota, but J.P. put up two 70-plus point seasons. However, Zach Parise put up big playoff numbers for the Wild. In the 2014 playoffs, Parise had 14 points in 13 games before losing to the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in the second round.
J.P. was traded to the Islanders midway through the 1974-75 season. Similarly, before the 2021-22 season, Zach also moved to the Islanders, except he signed there after being bought out by the Wild. While J.P. had two seasons almost scoring at least 56 points with the Islanders, Zach has slipped into more of a veteran role with the team. Only time will tell how his role develops on the now playoff-tested Islanders squad.