Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Alyn McCauley remembers what it was like being around Max Domi when he was a kid.

The legendary enforcer Tie Domi would bring his son to the Leafs locker room whenever he could, which meant interacting with the Leafs of the early 2000s, including McCauley. He recalled being around the young Max during Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill on Wednesday.

“ He was much smaller then,” he said. “ Max would’ve been just two or three years old. He was a small guy running around the room, and I certainly remember seeing him.  Obviously amazing how things come all the way around 20-some years later.”

McCauley is, of course, referring to the OT winner that Max scored in Game 2 to give the Leafs a 2-0 lead in the series as it shifts to Ottawa. No doubt, seeing the kid who was once running around the Leafs dressing room later go on to score a big goal for said team put a big smile on McCauley’s face.

It has also given him the chance to reflect on three series against the Senators that he participated in between 2000 and 2002. Though the Leafs did come out on top in those clashes that he was a part of, he recalled them being highly competitive, and they were far from a foregone conclusion. This was evidenced by Game 2 of the 2002 clash, which went to triple-OT before Gary Roberts scored the winner.

“ I remember actually after that Game 2 having to get an IV.  Most of the season I played like eight or 10 minutes, and then that game I think I played 34 or 35 minutes, something crazy,” McCauley said. “It was quite a turnaround from the regular season for me in many regards but  in particular with ice time.  Coming out of the ACC at that point, high-fiving people in their cars and stuff like that. It was a lot of fun to be a part of, period.”

As far as what was the key to all of their wins over the Senators during those times, McCauley said that part of it boiled down to quality goaltending from Curtis Joseph, who was one of the best in the NHL at that time. The overall experience of the group, mental and physical toughness, and everyone playing their roles well, which included McCauley being an energy guy, which he took pride in.

That last part helps explain why the Leafs paid a premium to acquire Scott Laughton at the trade deadline. McCauley, now an assistant GM of the Philadelphia Flyers, knows the forward well and knows that Toronto is getting a quality glue-guy.

“ I think they’ll grow to appreciate exactly what Scott brings to the table. He is  a really good person, a glue guy in the room,” he said. “A guy that’s willing to – although he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity or didn’t have a lot of opportunity with us to display it,  at playoff time. But I think he’s a player type that you win with, that’s willing to do the little things that add up to wins at this time of the year.  And I think he’ll contribute more and more offensively.”

You can watch the full interview with McCauley down below: