Plenty of NHL players hang out together. No big deal.
A lot of them like to meet up for dinner. That's pretty common.
Plenty of guys like to get mani-pedis on their off days.
Wait... what?
"We like to go to movies, go shopping. We do a little manicure-pedicure once in a while," Arizona Coyotes forward Anthony Duclair said about his friendship with Max Domi. "Nothing to be ashamed of."
"We're proud of it, actually," added Domi who, alongside Duclair, comprises the Coyotes' up-and-coming "Killer D" line.
Domi and Duclair are two of the reasons Coyotes fans are excited about the upcoming season. The pair of 21-year-olds took the NHL by storm during the 2015-16 season, their first full seasons in the league.
Duclair, a Quebec native, notched 20 goals and 24 assists last season, and his 19.0 shot percentage was among the best in the NHL.
Domi, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was second on the team in points last season (18 goals, 34 assists; 52 points).
His father, Tie Domi, starred for the Toronto Maple Leafs and has the third-most penalty minutes in NHL history. Tie Domi is friends with Justin Bieber, which is why the Biebs wore Domi's jersey at a concert in Glendale earlier this year.
In 2015, then-Coyotes general manager Don Maloney acquired Duclair from the New York Rangers after observing the rapport he and Domi developed on the same line while leading Team Canada to the gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Championships.
"We had success, me and Max. Obviously playing in the World Juniors is a big deal in Canada, and just winning that gold medal was a pretty special feeling," Duclair said.
Today, Domi and Duclair both live in north Scottsdale. Their favorite restaurants include True Foods and Dominick's Steakhouse. "We like our steaks," Duclair said.
But that doesn't mean the Killer Ds don't like to hang out with the veterans on their team, including Coyotes captain Shane Doan, who began his NHL career the same year Domi and Duclair were born.
"I think that's the coolest part about hockey. Myself and Anthony are 21 years old, and you've got Shane who's double our age pretty much," Domi said.
"We joke about it a lot, but at heart, he's our age, too. He acts just the same way."
It's that kind of camaraderie among teammates that makes Domi and Duclair believe this year's Coyotes can advance to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons and help their older teammate lift that elusive Stanley Cup trophy.
With perfectly manicured hands, of course.
"You share so many of the same kind of goals and experiences that you can talk about anything for as long as you want," Domi said. "We have a tight-knit group in Phoenix here, and we have a lot of fun together, that's for sure."
