Max Domi gears up as Maple Leafs and Canadiens kick off season. – Great

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As a player, Max Domi has seen both sides of the opening-night rivalry between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.

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Just don’t question his recall about being at the feet of his father Tie in his Toronto tenure when there were gala celebrations at the Gardens and Air Canada Centre to start a new NHL season.

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“Wrong guy to ask. I spent a lot of time in the wives’ room playing mini-stick hockey,” Max said with a laugh on Wednesday morning as the Leafs prepared for Montreal. “But I do have personal experience: My first game as a Hab was here in Toronto. This city is all about the Leafs.”

Domi was asked if Wednesday night was not the ideal optic to change his Leafs number from 11 to his father’s 28 after the recent trade of Sam Lafferty provided the opportunity.

“Absolutely not. That’s my old man’s number. Laff was part of this group and it’s part of the business unfortunately,” Domi said.

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“At the end of the day, my Dad had a great career here, a lot of great years and gave everything he had to this city. (In his enforcer’s role) he was the best in the world at it. He was a proud Maple Leaf and still is.

“We always talked about it growing up, how cool it would be (if Max became a Leaf). Now I am, and just trying to make the most of the opportunity.”

Domi will be on left wing of the second line with captain John Tavares and William Nylander. Tavares said there was extra buzz at the morning meeting knowing that games are for real again.

“We’re extremely excited, it’s a lot like Christmas,” he said. “There is a lot of work on preparation to start a new journey. You never take it for granted. Opening night is always special.”

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“It’s about the whole summer, our team getting solidified and now it’s going out there and earning it and wanting the opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup.

“We know what this rivalry means and how fun it is to play in it.”

This will be the fourth consecutive season opener between the clubs, two of three won by the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. It’s the 19^th time in more than a century the opener will be in Toronto, with the Leafs/St. Patricks/Arenas holding an advantage of 11-6-1 and the 766^th time overall the clubs have clashed in regular season.

Montreal, in Year 2 of an all-out rebuild, did not skate Wednesday morning at Scotiabank Arena.

“They have a tremendous amount of speed and skill,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “If you don’t take care of the puck, they’ll make you pay.”

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Centre Fraser Minten’s parents and grandparents will be in the building for the 19-year-old’s first NHL game, his Dad and Mom arriving from Vancouver late last night.

“You can tell they’re excited,” Minten said. “I talked to them on the phone. They sent me a photo. The Leafs sent them some jerseys, which was super cool.”

Keefe has a new-look team, two new assistant coaches, renewed hope that another strong 50-win season is in the cards and that his team can go deeper than two playoff rounds.

Asked about two sluggish Octobers in ’21 and ’22, Keefe said training camp was planned differently this year, with feedback from the players, who thought emphasis should not be pushing too hard before the real games.

“It took us too long last year to really find our game and play with purpose,” he said.

“(Today) you’re getting into your regular rhythm so that new guys going through their first real game day experience (understand).

“You’re checking some more boxes of things you didn’t get to in pre-season.”

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