Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi forged a strong friendship stemming from their minor hockey days with the Don Mills Flyers of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, and it&#8217;s a bond that has last nearly two decades.
Nurse and the Oilers are in town to square off against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, and he spoke to The Leafs Nation about his friendship with Domi, and what he appreciates about his game overall.
&#8220;We grew up together, we played three years together with Don Mills,&#8221; Nurse said. &#8220;Stayed at his house for a long time on weekends, when I had to go back to Hamilton. We stayed in touch and spent a lot of time together. Pretty good friend of mine and it&#8217;s fun to see him excelling in this league.&#8221;
Nurse and Domi&#8217;s friendship extends beyond their time with Don Mills, as both players helped Canada win gold at the 2015 World Juniors. Domi scored twice in the 5-4 gold medal win against Russia, while Nurse established himself as a true force to be reckoned with.
Nearly a decade into their NHL careers, Nurse admitted he&#8217;s not staying up to watch every Leafs game, but wishes his friend well in most scenarios. I&#8217;ve probably seen a couple of games before ours.
&#8220;Every time I see him, he&#8217;s pretty dynamic out there making plays,&#8221; Nurse said of Domi. &#8220;Every time I watch him, I hope he has a great game except when he&#8217;s playing against us.&#8221;
Domi is mired in a 12-game point drought, the longest stretch of his career, while still in search of his first goal this season. He&#8217;s been a staple of Toronto&#8217;s top nine and can alternate between wing and centre and Nurse&#8217;s assessment of his long-time friend&#8217;s game hasn&#8217;t wavered despite the cold start offensively.
Domi missed practices this week due to maintenance, but head coach Craig Berube confirmed he&#8217;ll be back in the lineup, where he will likely centre Toronto&#8217;s second line, flanked by Matthew Knies and William Nylander. He may be fighting through an injury and will be tasked with shadowing either Connor McDavid — another 2015 World Juniors teammate  — or Leon Draisaitl, an unenviable tasks on most nights.
Nurse, for his part, has recorded two goals and nine points, while logging 21:36 per game, primarily paired with Troy Stecher.
Once the final whistle ends, Nurse and Domi will almost certainly catch up post-game, where a lifelong bond remains strong as ever between the two competitors.
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Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi forged a strong friendship stemming from their minor hockey days with the Don Mills Flyers of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, and it's a bond that has last nearly two decades.

Nurse and the Oilers are in town to square off against the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, and he spoke to The Leafs Nation about his friendship with Domi, and what he appreciates about his game overall.

"We grew up together, we played three years together with Don Mills," Nurse said. "Stayed at his house for a long time on weekends, when I had to go back to Hamilton. We stayed in touch and spent a lot of time together. Pretty good friend of mine and it's fun to see him excelling in this league."

Nurse and Domi's friendship extends beyond their time with Don Mills, as both players helped Canada win gold at the 2015 World Juniors. Domi scored twice in the 5-4 gold medal win against Russia, while Nurse established himself as a true force to be reckoned with.

Nearly a decade into their NHL careers, Nurse admitted he's not staying up to watch every Leafs game, but wishes his friend well in most scenarios. I've probably seen a couple of games before ours.

"Every time I see him, he's pretty dynamic out there making plays," Nurse said of Domi. "Every time I watch him, I hope he has a great game except when he's playing against us."

Domi is mired in a 12-game point drought, the longest stretch of his career, while still in search of his first goal this season. He's been a staple of Toronto's top nine and can alternate between wing and centre and Nurse's assessment of his long-time friend's game hasn't wavered despite the cold start offensively.

Domi missed practices this week due to maintenance, but head coach Craig Berube confirmed he'll be back in the lineup, where he will likely centre Toronto's second line, flanked by Matthew Knies and William Nylander. He may be fighting through an injury and will be tasked with shadowing either Connor McDavid — another 2015 World Juniors teammate  — or Leon Draisaitl, an unenviable tasks on most nights.

Nurse, for his part, has recorded two goals and nine points, while logging 21:36 per game, primarily paired with Troy Stecher.

Once the final whistle ends, Nurse and Domi will almost certainly catch up post-game, where a lifelong bond remains strong as ever between the two competitors.
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Darnell Nurse excited to square off against ‘dynamic’ Max Domi, expands on lifelong friendship

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