Tie Domi was a great player but an even better fighter. He was a top enforcer during one of the most violent eras in NHL history, and no one in the league has more fighting majors than his 333. Domi had a great career, spanning over 16 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and the Winnipeg Jets. He never played with Wayne Gretzky, but The Great One still went out of his way with an amazing gesture – to Domi’s mother.
Domi served as a protector for Toronto superstar Mats Sundin for most of his years, and he did it perfectly.
Domi was a nightmare to play against, someone who just never left you alone, and he wasn’t afraid of anyone. But what did his parents think of his violent playing style?
Domi’s dad passed when Tie was in his early 20s, and his mom wasn’t the biggest hockey fan. As it turns out, she never watched him play, not even on the TV.
”My mom never watched hockey, ever,” Domi said on the Raw Knuckles podcast.
”She never watched me on TV, just nothing.”
Wayne Gretzky’s amazing gesture
But Domi’s mother did have two favorite players, and her son wasn’t one of them.
”She loved Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, because they were gentlemen. She loved Wayne Gretzky because Wayne cried when he got traded from Edmonton, and she would always remember that.”
But one time, she was really interested in watching Tie play.
”But she wanted to come to one game. Just one game. And it was Wayne Gretzky’s last game at the Maple Leafs Garden. And she came, and she lasted one shift.”
Domi got into a fight early on, which was enough for her. But it would still end up being one memorable night—thanks to The Great One, who stepped up with a really classy gesture.
”She never watched the rest of the game, but after the game, Wayne Gretzky knew my mother was there. He gets the security to come get my mother, and he brings my mother in the locker room, in his locker room, to take a picture. That picture speaks for itself, it was pretty special.”
