My Favorite Cigar
Tie Domi • Hockey Tough Guy • Davidoff Grand Cru
He’s known by sports fans as the man with the most fights in NHL history: 333 over the course of his 16-year career, playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets. Today, the 54-year-old Tie Domi likes to unwind with a cigar. “It’s about the only thing that relaxes me.” Despite his brawly reputation, Domi’s taste leans to milder smokes. He typically enjoys a Davidoff Grand Cru either at the end of the day or while watching sports. He’s smoking less, however, lest his family puts him in the penalty box: “I can only hide it so much.”
His favorite cigar moment, he says, was playing pool in 1996 with Michael Jordan amid a crowd of spectators. At the climax, Domi only had the eight-ball left, whereas Jordan had six to go. After dramatically puffing his cigar, Jordan announced if he sank all six, Domi and his two-year-old son Max would have tickets waiting for them at his game. Jordan then proceeded to clear the table amid cheers. The following day, Jordan carried Max around the locker room to meet his teammates for a photo. Says Domi: “It was like a movie scene that started with a cigar and ended with a cigar.”
