Domi has come around on ’Canes

Former Leaf puts past behind him to cheer for son’s team

MORRISVILLE, N.C. Let us not visit the sins of the father upon the son. Tie Domi was as hated here as he was anywhere else, although it’s a two-way street, given that the Carolina Hurricanes put an end to what may have been his best shot at a Stanley Cup.

But nobody could have been happier than Domi to see the Hurricanes win and advance to the second round of the playoffs Saturday, with son Max the surprise star.

Playoff hockey makes for strange alliances, and none may be stranger than the newest Huge Caniac celebrating in the seats at PNC Arena, where he took 10 penalty minutes in an Eastern Conference final game — a 1-0 Maple Leafs win — nine days short of 20 years ago.

The Leafs won that battle. The Hurricanes won the series. Tie Domi never made it that deep into the post-season again. It’s not so much that time healed those wounds; fatherhood left him no choice.

“He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care at all,” Max Domi said Monday. “Wherever I play, he’s the biggest fan in the world. Pretty simple. Nothing else really matters. He could care less about what’s happened in the past.”

Max Domi said his father would prefer to avoid the spotlight so his presence, his Carolina ball cap and a suddenly Hurricanes-saturated Twitter feed will have to suffice as evidence of his new fandom.

As for the son, Domi’s star turn in the Game 7 win over the Boston Bruins — two goals and an assist in the 3-2 win — wasn’t a total surprise. He had earned a promotion to the Vincent Trocheck line with his play in Game 5, moving ahead of the disappointingly ineffective Martin Nec as for Game 6 and staying there Saturday. By the time it was over, he had tied the family record for goals in a post-season (two).

Domi can also now claim a spot among the very short list of lowcost, trade-deadline acquisitions that truly proved their worth. The Hurricanes added him for scoring depth and that’s exactly what he provided at the most critical moment of the season. He has bounced all over the lineup since his arrival, and probably will again as the Hurricanes move on to face the New York Rangers in the second round, starting Wednesday.

“It’s just all about opportunity, right?” Domi said. “Whatever role I’m in, I’m here for the short term, and you have to understand you’re coming to a team that’s had some success. Even though you might usually be in a certain spot, you’re not going to get that same opportunity here. And that’s totally fine.”

For the moment, he’s just a son advancing through the playoffs, with a famous, and very happy, father.