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Goodbye, Gardens!
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Monday, February 15, 1999
Punch-line pugs
However, contact between two of the toughest Leafs of all time has been limited strictly to trading barbs.
Hours after the final horn had sounded on the last NHL game in Maple Leaf Gardens, the two fighters stood in their old dressing room throwing punchline after punchline.
"We gotta switch sides because you're left handed," laughed Williams, who was always acutely aware of his opponent's dominant fist.
"Actually, I might not be here if you were around when I played -- you would've beat the s--- out of me."
"I don't know if I could mess up that face any more than it already is," shot back Domi.
As they switched spots behind the microphones, Domi got a chuckle out of Williams' jersey, which had been signed by each and every one of the 105 former Leafs on hand for the last Gardens party at Church and Carlton.
"Turn around," laughed Domi, spinning the league's all-time penalty-minute leader. "They ran out of room so Billy Harris signed the collar (of the dress shirt worn under Williams' jersey.)"
"Oh great, if I made $1.8 million a season I'd be able to afford a new one," joked Williams, never afraid to speak his mind.
"You know, the way you guys play nowadays, you could play for 50 years -- nobody hits anybody ... oh, except for you, I guess."
As a crowd of reporters gathered to take in their Abbott and Costello-like routine, the two talked about their admiration for one another as mighty-mites who rarely wound up on the short end of a tussle. In fact, Domi's admiration for Williams is so deep that shortly after he broke into the league in 1990, Domi paid tribute to No. 22 by putting his stick between his legs and riding it as Williams did after scoring a goal.
"I told all my teammates in New York that it didn't matter where we were or what the score was, I was gonna ride my stick after my first goal," said Domi, who got his chance at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.
Domi grinned like a child as he talked about a conversation he had with Leafs owner Harold Ballard the day he was drafted by the Leafs' 27th overall in 1988. Ballard told Domi he had a heart like Tiger and wished he had 20 other players just like him.
"That was a huge honour -- it meant a lot to me that he'd compare me to Tiger," said Domi, who has more than 2,300 PIMs in 10 seasons and is the all-time leader in penalty minutes per game.
HOT STOVE LOUNGING:
The press also was invited to interview other past-present duos like Darryl Sittler and Doug Gilmour, Mats Sundin and Borje Salming as well as Curtis Joseph and Johnny Bower. When asked if he wished he could've played the game using the modern equipment Joseph wears Bower quipped, "Definitely. My equipment weighed more than Curtis ..."
Because of Ballard's ridiculous opposition to Russians playing in his building, goaltending great Vladislav Tretiak only made a precious few game appearances at the Gardens. When asked for his memories his answer was simple, "I always lost here," smiled the cheery Hall of Famer with a shrug. "Seventy-two and 1974 ... Canada always beat us here. But I still love this place."
IMPROPER PROGRAMMING:
One of the only major screw ups on the final night was the handling of the souvenir program sales. The highly sought-after mementos were being peddled outside the stadium, prompting a sellout of all 20,000 copies two hours before game time. Thousands of game patrons were furious at being unable to purchase the programs,which were horded by collectors who could be seen with dozens under their arms, despite a rule limiting the sale of two per customer. Ken Dryden shrugged when asked what he intended to do about the situation. Four thousand copies are typically sold on game night and 10,000 were moved when both Chicago Stadium and the Montreal Forum closed. Team officials said 25,000 programs will be shipped to Toronto bookstores this week.
HELPING HANDS:
A rather embarrassed Errol Thompson made a last-minute trip to the Toronto festivities after Dryden told him he'd pay for his expenses.
Thompson, a beer rep for Labatt in Summerside, P.E.I., originally said he wouldn't make the trek because he couldn't afford it, prompting Dryden's classy gesture.
"I'm not penniless," said Thompson. "I don't really want to talk about it but it's not what some people have made it out to be. I just have to work for my money like everybody else" ... The most emotional moment of the evening came when former captain Red Horner, the only surviving member of the 1932 team that opened the Gardens, met current captain Mats Sundin at centre ice. "Take this flag to our new home but always remember us," said Horner, before embracing Sundin and prompting tears from fans and media types alike. I doubt the moment was quite as powerful on TV ... Longtime broadcaster Brian MacFarlane attended the game and now looks remarkably like Ed Whalen with his new bearded look ... Of all the standing ovations to greet the 105 former Leafs, Lanny McDonald's was clearly one of the loudest.
KEON NO. 1 WITH MOST:
Although 12 Leafs in attendance were recognized as Hockey Hall of Famers, many consider Dave Keon to be the best ever to represent the Maple Leafs. Strangely enough, a few media types figured Gilmour's six solid years in Hogtown warranted him consideration as the top Leaf of all time. I'm not making that up ... As fate would have it, Gilmour was in a Leaf uniform in 1994 when Toronto spoiled the final party at Chicago Stadium with a 1-0 win ... Another player who has experience as a participant in the closing game of an Original Six building is Hawks netminder Jocelyn Thibault. Despite being maligned by fans and the media throughout his brief NHL career, Thibault's victory over the Leafs made him just the fifth goalie to record 100 victories before age 25. Likely Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Grant Fuhr and Tom Barrasso are the only others to do so.
RINK RATS:
Some were calling the closing of the Gardens the biggest sporting event in Canada's history. Although such sentiments likely came from the mouths of salivating ticket scalpers, I'm not sure there's ever been an event that could have commanded ticket prices ranging from $700-$2,500 ... While framed prints of the building went for $400 and commemorative t-shirts flew out the doors for $20, the most ridiculous souvenirs were tiny pieces of the boards and framed "Ice Slivers" (melted ice water) from the rink which sold for $200 and $50 respectively.