His father, Tie, wore No. 28 in his 12 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Max Domi stepped to the news conference lectern and was asked if he contemplated changing his No. 11 to 28 now that it was available.
"No, absolutely not, that's my old man's number," Domi said
Domi's father Tie wore No. 28 for his entire 12-season career while with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The number was previously occupied by Sam Lafferty, who was traded by the club on Sunday in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in 2024.
While close with his dad, Max has never actually worn No. 28 throughout his eight-year NHL career. He has primarily worn 13 in honor of former Maple Leafs forward Mats Sundin and No. 16 which is occupied by Mitch Marner.
Domi wore 18 for the first time in his career last season when he was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Dallas Stars.
This season Max is wearing No. 11 after his cousin selected it for me.
Max grew up a big Maple Leafs fan and will fulfill a lifelong dream when he makes his team debut against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. The Leafs signed the 5-foot-10 forward to a one-year, $3 million contract last summer. He'll start the season on a line with core forwards John Tavares and William Nylander.
He represents one of several new bodies brought in by new general manager Brad Treliving, who identified "piss and vinegar" as elements missing from the current group of players.
Other free-agent signings include Tyler Bertuzzi (one year, $5.5 million) and Ryan Reaves (three years, at $1.35 million per season).
"At the end of the day here he a lot of great years here and gave everything he had to the city and played arguably the toughest role in the sport that we have," Max said of his father Tie. "We talked about it growing up if I got to wear the same jersey that he did and now I am so I'm just going to make the most of the opportunity."
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