Tie Domi says Toronto doesn’t play hard, arena has no atmosphere

Longtime NHL enforcer Tie Domi — he of the 3,515 penalty minutes — spent the majority of his playing career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, often saying he bled blue and white.

Thus explaining why he’s so disillusioned with the current state of the franchise.

“Nothing eats at me more inside than these guys not doing well,” Domi told the Toronto Star after attending the Leafs’ 3-0 loss to Carolina at the Air Canada Center. “When I sat down, it was a weird feeling. There was no atmosphere in the place.

“And I know why there’s no atmosphere. They’re out of the playoffs again. There’s nothing on the line. They haven’t made the playoffs for how long now?”

The answer, of course, is seven seasons — almost eight calendar years (that whole “lockout” thingy added to the futility.)

Domi was a member of the last Toronto team to make the postseason. So were Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour, Ron Francis and Brian Leetch — four guys that have since been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, as the Star’s Dave Feschuk astutely points out.

As such, Domi feels a special connection to the city come playoff time, and can’t believe the franchise hasn’t experienced postseason hockey for so long.

“I played in every one of those playoff games like it was my last,” Domi said. “I just don’t see that every shift from this team. I don’t see every guy playing hard every shift. They’ve got to start getting accountability in the room.”

Domi also shared his thoughts on a variety of other subjects, including Twitter.

“Twitter anything about our team — you should be fined,” he said. “My son is on the social media, but he’s 16.”

Quick piece for advice for Domi: Putting “the” in front of any technological innovation instantly makes you sound 78 years old. Not unlike when my grandma asked if part of my job involved “internetting.”