2024 – Imam was patient

OTTAWA | When Bokonji Imama signed with the Ottawa Senators last summer, he expected to play in the Canadian capital. It just wasn't like that.

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He's been wearing a Sens jersey all season…but in Belleville in the American League. It happened in 76 years^e A great game by the Senators, he finally got a chance to stay in the NHL for a third time. 6 choices^e In the 2015 round of the Arizona Coyotes, the Montrealer played four games with the Coyotes in 2022 and five more in 2023.

“Sometimes the process doesn't always go the way you want it to, but that's part of the game. You try to be positive every day and you don't forget why you're in this sport,'' he said after the Senators' Saturday morning skate.

“I know my job, I know my role, these are not my first professional years. I took care of myself, kept my head up and was happy to do well and get a recall.”

Not a tough guy

Imama is 6′ 1” and 221 pounds and likes to play hard. Some are too quick to label him as a tough guy. That doesn't overlook his good skating and ability to play on special teams, a role he's embraced in Belleville.

“I'm a player of power and energy. In today's hockey, being the tough guy obviously doesn't work, even in the minors.

“You have to contribute more than just fighting, because it's going to be a lot less. I'm proud to be a power player.”

He laughs and nods when we tell him that we see him as a tough guy, a player who can get under opposing players.

“I take responsibility for myself and I know that I work best when I'm in that situation. I'm a tough player, I'm ahead of my opponents. I may not be the top scorer, but I'm involved in a different way.”

Take your place

While the Bellville Senators are fighting for the American League playoffs, Imama is fighting to keep his place in the NHL after three games remaining in Ottawa, where he signed a two-year contract. A year with the Senators last summer.

“I will try to finish well here. It can be stressful and it can be fun. I will try to make the most of my opportunity to come back here next year.”

Imama offered as strong a game as possible. He's the man who led the Senators in hits in the team's last two games, even though he averaged barely more than six minutes. 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 is still working, so it's all good,” he says, laughing again.

Important for the family

Imama, 27, grew up in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace district in a family of Democratic Republic of Congo descent.

Imama, the only son in a family of five, is happy to be closer to his family, who attend the games at the Canada Tire Centre. And this match against the Canadian will not be an exception.

“There is a family of imams. It's a great experience not only for me, but also for my family.”