Tie Domi is a true NHL legend and one of the most feared enforcers ever to play the game. At one point, he even dropped the gloves against a fan in a now-infamous incident. Now, Domi shares a heartwarming detail from that encounter.
With 3,515 penalty minutes, Tie Domi ranks third all-time in NHL history for penalty minutes. But one of his most legendary fights wasn’t against another player—it was with a fan in the stands.
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Tie Domi fights fan
On March 29, 2001, Tie Domi and his Toronto Maple Leafs were in Philadelphia to play the Flyers. Domi loved facing the Flyers because of how involved their crowd got in the game. This time, however, the fans got a little too involved. Domi had been sent to the penalty box after an altercation with Luke Richardson. The Flyers fans behind the penalty box began heckling Domi, even throwing a lighter at him. Domi turned around and said, “Good shot.” But the man, Chris Falcone, continued to taunt him. That’s when Domi made a decision that would change everything.
Protected the linesman Kevin Collins
Speaking to Prime TV, Tie Domi recalled the incident:
“The guy was chirping, chirping, chirping. So I thought, ‘Let me get this guy,’ and I squirted him with Gatorade. I made sure it was blue, too. Then the guy came from way behind, the glass broke, and he came in. I’m kind of holding him, and then, all of a sudden, he threw a punch at Kevin Collins, the linesman. The linesmen are like your brothers—they’re part of the brotherhood. That was it. I didn’t want to beat the guy up; I just had to—‘hey, you hit my buddy here.’”
Despite being one of the most penalized players in NHL history, Tie Domi had enormous respect for the officials, and he would stand up to anyone who hurt them. To further show his gentlemanship, Domi later reached out to Chris Falcone and paid for him and his family to fly to Toronto to watch a game of their beloved Flyers.
You can watch the interview below.
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