Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.3

www.afootinthecrease.com

The writing was on the wall when the Toronto Maple Leafs bought out Tie Domi last summer. At 35 years of age, coming off a season that showed the game had long since past him by, it was clear Domi’s days as an NHLer were numbered. As the summer went on, little was heard about Domi’s future plans until this past Tuesday when he finally announced he had decided to retire. After 1020 games over 16 seasons and 270 fights in the NHL, Domi walked away from the game in grandiose fashion with a large scale press conference that attracted almost one reporter for every goal he scored. Certainly it was the largest gathering for the retirement of a player who only three times cracked the 10 goal mark over his career.

To say Domi parlayed his physical prowess into a solid NHL career would be an understatement. Domi took what very marginal ability he had and somehow found a way to last over 1000 games, a mark few players reach, and place himself among the most popular Leafs of all time. Over his career, he did work hard and put good effort into most games he played, but honestly does he really deserve the pedestal he seems to be placed on in the city of Toronto. Perhaps it’s just the fact that everything to do with hockey is done bigger in Toronto but I have to question whether Mats Sundin would receive the same kind of treatment should he decide to retire as a Maple Leaf.

Tom Fitzgerald, a player with modestly better stats than Domi, retired earlier in the month. I don’t think he got a side column in the newspaper. Though Domi was a fan favourite, let’s try to remember that was really just a fourth line winger, easily replaced if need be. The Leafs will not miss Domi as a player on the ice; Ben Ondrus, John Pohl, Kris Newbury or Jeremy Williams will fill his roster spot and will flourish. The dressing room will have a different flavour to it; somebody else will have to step up as a vocal leader. Don’t worry Leaf fans, they will survive, believe or not without Tie Domi. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.