Former New Jersey Devils defenceman Scott Stevens had a reputation for being a physical player.

However, ask Tie Domi whether he believes Stevens was a tough guy, and the former Toronto Maple Leafs winger would vehemently disagree.

That question was posed to Domi on the most recent episode of the Cam and Strick Podcast, where the former hard-hitting forward laid into the Hall of Famer.

“Scott Stevens was the biggest phony I ever played against,” Domi said after a quick chuckle. “Honestly, I chased that guy for years. He was such a phony, it was a joke. Let me put that out there.”

According to Domi, Stevens constantly ducked fights with him despite the ex-defenceman having no issue checking other players.

“That guy used to target all the best players on my teams and I always tried to fight him, and he would never fight,” Domi claimed. “He never, ever, answered the bell.

Domi recalled one past incident when there was a bench-clearing brawl in a game between the Devils and New York Rangers, who he played for at the time. Even though there was plenty of fighting, Stevens allegedly never engaged with Domi.

“Him and I ended up on the bench. He was bear-hugging so hard, I said ‘let go, I’m going to beat the s— out of you’ and he wouldn’t let go. He was holding on so tight.

“He was a good hitter, obviously, but he targeted the wrong guys at very vulnerable times and he never answered the bell.

“Scott Stevens, a tough guy? Give me a break.”

A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Stevens accumulated 2,785 penalty minutes during his career, though he still lags behind Domi, who is third on the NHL’s all-time list in that category with 3,515.