Five seasons, 220 games, 535 penalty minutes: Bokondji Imama ate his black bread in the professional ranks before playing his first game in the National Hockey League (NHL), on April 22, with the Arizona Coyotes .
The native of the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district, in Montreal, seized his chance in the desert. In his second game on the league, against the St. Louis Blues, he found the back of the net for the first time in front of family members at Gila River Arena.
“From the moment I scored, there was a three or four seconds where I had a ‘blackout’,” says the 25-year-old striker. But the guys came over to give me big hugs and congratulations and that’s where it hit me the hardest.”
“I am living my childhood dream.”
No doubt
The road to Imama’s Bettman circuit was strewn with obstacles. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 amateur auction by the Tampa Bay Lightning, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings before signing his entry contract. He then spent four seasons with the Reign of Ontario in the American Hockey League, but never received a call from the big club.
“I never doubted,” he says. Every summer, I train as much as possible to become better. Each presence, I do the best I can. I never know who is watching me and who might give me a chance one day.”
This famous chance, he got it within a team in reconstruction, which also rivals the Montreal Canadiens in the cellar of the NHL.
“The average age is a little younger with the Coyotes. Of course, there were a few more opportunities for me. I am very happy to finally have had my “shot”.
“Boko” does not hide it, he has never been recognized for his scoring skills. In a circuit where the profession of badass is becoming increasingly rare, the former QMJHL judge that he stands out in two aspects of the game: “robustness and energy.”
“I will always be there to defend my teammates. [Mais]I think I am also capable of contributing offensively.”
An unrestricted free agent at the end of the campaign, Imama will try to convince the “Yotes” to extend his stay in Arizona and, by the same token, continue to defy the odds.
Still work to do
Bokondji Imama fought against all odds to realize his dream. But as if the most common path to the NHL wasn’t winding enough, the forward has also been the victim of several acts of racism in the hockey world.
Is violence against racialized athletes now a thing of the past, according to the African-Canadian player?
“It has not progressed, he answers without hesitation. Absolutely not. There is still work to be done in hockey.”
Remember that the Montrealer has been targeted by two heinous acts in two years in the American League. Last January, San Jose Barracuda forward Krsyof Hrabik was suspended 30 games for his behavior towards Imama.
We can only admire the resilience of the latter, who has made his way in a world that has rarely been welcoming to him.
“I just hope that the fact that I broke into the NHL will inspire many and that it will bring about this change one day.”