Tie Domi says he owes it all to Mark Messier and that little talk they once had.
Only it was more a scolding than a talk. Messier spoke his mind as the captain of the New York Rangers while Domi, the rambunctious upstart, listened and learned.
The lesson was on how to be a National Hockey League player and earn the respect of your peers. It was an exercise not lost on Domi, who said he will call his former teammate and thank him before tonight's tribute in New York, where the Rangers will honour the Moose by retiring his jersey number, 11.
"There's not a person I learned more from my whole career, off or on the ice," said Domi, who has spent 10 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs trying to win and act like Messier. "It's definitely a day to celebrate for hockey because he brought a lot to this game."
It was early in Domi's NHL career that he landed in New York and got to study at the skates of the former Edmonton Oiler and Stanley Cup champion Messier. The night of the scolding, Domi went out and had a memorable evening. He got a goal and an assist and fought twice.
After scoring the goal, he celebrated by riding his stick à la Dave (Tiger) Williams. After winning one of the fights, he skated to the penalty box spinning his fists in the air as if punching a speed bag. The crowd loved it. Messier didn't.
"I was getting undressed [after the game]and feeling pretty good about myself and he pulled me into the trainer's room," Domi said.
"He sat me down and said: 'Listen here, you little you-know-what. Enough of that stuff. If you want the respect of your peers, cut that out. I'm telling you this because I want you to get respect in this league.' And I stopped right after that speech. I stopped doing WWE [World Wrestling Entertainment]stuff."
Then there was the night the Rangers held a season-ending party for the team after it was eliminated in the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We had a team party that management was throwing and Mess was like, 'What the hell are we celebrating for?' " Domi said. "He grabbed me, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter and he got a limo and we left the party. We didn't win anything, so we left. It's all about winning with him. You try to carry those things on."
Domi is 36 now and his position is well defined within the Leafs' dressing room. In Vancouver for Tuesday's game against the Canucks, he was given a dressing room stall between youngsters Alexei Ponikarovsky, Alex Steen and Matt Stajan.
Domi said jokingly: "I've been around so long I played with Alex's dad [Thomas Steen]in Winnipeg."
Domi has also been around for so long he's closing in on a record. With 511 more penalty minutes, he will usurp Tiger Williams's status as the most penalized player in the history of hockey.
The thing is, Domi doesn't care about that record nor does he want it. What matters most is doing everything he can to help the Leafs win.
"Mess was always a big believer in having a family atmosphere around the team," Domi said. "I learned a lot from him that way. When young guys come here, you try to make them feel comfortable. When you're in the dressing room and on the road, you want everybody to be close through the tough times. I try to bring that helping hand here."
Messier wasn't a saint on the ice and neither is Domi. The difference now is that in today's NHL, there is less of a need for fighting, a fact borne out by Domi's measly total of 48 minutes in penalties this season, only the fifth largest total on the Leafs.
Instead of speed-bagging his opponents, Domi has adjusted and shown he can skate with them, check them and even contribute the odd goal.
He also makes sure to remind the younger Leafs about what they should and shouldn't do after they score.
"I tell them it's about little things, like celebrations," he said. "Keeping that to a minimum is something that will go a long way in their careers."
As for his former teammate's New York farewell, Domi doesn't believe it's the last time the NHL will see of Messier.
The way Domi has it figured, Messier will take some time off, then he'll watch NHL games on television, then he'll get the itch to come back as a coach or general manager.
Would he make a good coach?
"He can recognize talent and he's been a mentor to a lot of hockey players," Domi said. "Yeah, he'd be a good coach."