Montreal Canadiens: No Excuse For Max Domi’s Sucker Punch

Max Domi tried a bit too hard to make a good first impression with the Montreal Canadiens.

Max Domi made quite the first impression with his new club as his debut with the Montreal Canadiens led to a match penalty and future suspension.

As the Canadiens hosted the Florida Panthers, Domi attempted to get under the skin of Panthers Captain Aaron Ekblad by challenging him to a fight. With the Panthers leading the game, Ekblad was barely acknowledging Domi’s attempts. As a frustrated Domi continued to shove his left glove in Ekblad’s face, Domi would eventually drop his right glove to deliver a bare-knuckle punch to the unsuspecting defenseman’s face.

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The result of the punch left Ekblad extremely bloody and saw Domi receive a match penalty as his debut in a Canadiens uniform ended in ejection. In his three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, Domi had two match penalties as his reputation for being an on-ice pest continues to grow.

The amount of blood left behind by Ekblad would see the game be delayed as the ice crew would need time to clean up the mess left on the ice. Ekblad, who also has a history of concussions, was put through the NHL concussion protocol and passed.

The Panthers were in complete control of the contest at the time of the incident and Domi was trying to find a way to swing the momentum of the game in his team’s favor. However, if any player should know where the line is and the importance of not going over it, it should be Domi given his family bloodline. His father, Tie Domi, was no stranger to stepping over the line and receiving suspensions in his day.

Perhaps, Tie’s most famous suspension came when he elbowed Scott Niedermayer in the head during the closing seconds of a playoff game in 2001 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils. Tie would be suspended 10 games as a result of the cheap shot.

Max’s actions were the result of something seen almost every year during the preseason as a new player on a new team simply tries to do way too much to make an impression. Often a new face on a team attempts to go out of his way to show he has his teammates’ back.

A similar situation happened with David Clarkson in 2013 when he received a 10-game suspension for leaving the bench to join an on-ice fight. Clarkson had just signed a massive contract with the Maple Leafs months prior and his excitement and eagerness to prove he was worth the contract got the best of him. He was never able to recover from the incident during his time in Toronto.

Domi’s sucker punch will no doubt result in a multi-game suspension and the NHL could use him as an example to set the tone for the 2018-19 season. The league has improved in recent years with eliminating cheap shots in the game and given the importance of concussions and head safety, Domi could be in for a lengthy suspension.

Domi’s loss in the lineup will be a significant blow to the Canadiens’ lineup as he begun the contest as Montreal’s topline center. The Canadiens moved the winger to center due to their lack of depth at the center position, especially after trading former center Alex Galchenyuk in the summer in a deal to acquire Domi.

It’s expected to be a long season in Montreal as the club traded captain Max Pacioretty last week, Shea Weber is expected out of the lineup due to injury until at least December, and now the biggest offseason addition in Domi will miss the start of the season due to suspension.