OTTAWA | When Bokondji Imama signed with the Ottawa Senators last summer, he expected to play in the Canadian capital. It didn’t happen exactly like that.
• Read also: According to Dvorak: There are supporters in Arizona
• Read also: Canadian: Lane Hutson is expected
• Read also: CH-Sens: Five things to watch out for
He wore a “Sens” jersey all season… but in Belleville in the American League. It was during the 76e great Senators game that he was finally able to make a third stay in the NHL. Choice of 6e round of the Arizona Coyotes in 2015, the Montrealer played four games with the Coyotes in 2022 and five more in 2023.
“Sometimes the process isn’t always the way you want it to be, but that’s part of the game. You try to stay positive every day and you don’t forget why you play this sport,” he said after the Senators’ morning skate on Saturday.
“I know my job, I know my role, these are not my first professional years. I took care of myself, I kept my head up and I’m glad I did well and earned a recall.”
Not a tough guy
Imama is 6′ 1” and 221 lbs and likes a tough game. Some people are too quick to label him as a tough guy. That would ignore his good skating and his ability to play on special teams, a role he assumed in Belleville.
“I am a player of power and energy. It’s certain that being a tough guy in today’s hockey doesn’t really work anymore even in the minors.
“You have to be able to contribute a little more than just fighting because that happens a lot less. I take pride in being an energy player.”
When we tell him that we perceive him above all as a tough guy, a player who is capable of getting under the skin of opposing players, he nods with a laugh.
“I take responsibility for myself and I find that I perform best when I am in this type of situation. I’m a tough player, I’m in my opponents’ faces. I may not be the one who will score the most goals, but I will get involved in a different way.”
Earn your place
While the Belleville Senators fight for a playoff spot in the American League, Imama is fighting to keep his place in the NHL beyond his three games remaining in Ottawa, as he signed a two-year contract. ‘one year with the Senators last summer.
“For sure I’m trying to finish well here. It can be stressful and it can be exciting. I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunity so I can be back here next year.”
Imama offered as robust a game as he is capable of. He’s the one who led the Senators in hits in the team’s last two games even though he plays barely more than six minutes on average. So what kind of response is he getting about his work?
“If I’m still in this locker room, that’s fine. My hotel card still works, so everything is good,” he says, laughing once again.
Important for the family
Imama, who is 27 years old, grew up in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighborhood in a family originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The only boy in a family of five children, Imama is happy to be closer to his family who come to the games at the Canadian Tire Centre. And this meeting against the Canadian will certainly be no exception.
“The Imama clan is quite present. It’s a great experience not only for me, but also for my family.”