When he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 6th round of the 2015 NHL draft, Bokondji Imama was always known as a fighter. He proved it once again last night.
During their game last night, the Halifax Mooseheads and St. Johns Sea Dogs got involved in a scrap just outside of the Sea Dogs bench. It all started after a hit on a Mooseheads player that he and the team did not like. What insued afterwords would get one of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s most known prospects back into the spotlight once again.
During the scrum, 20-year-old Kelly Bent gave what looked to be a punch to the mouth to 15-year-old Joe Veleno. On the bench during the altercation, Lightning prospect Bokondji Imama, known for his willingness to defend teammates at all costs, came off the bench to take on the 20-year-old that gave cheap shot to his teammate.
Being held back by two officials, Imama would not be denied the chance to get a lick on Bent. Throwing punches over the referees helmet and viciously trying to get the Mooseheads player away from the referee, Imama had to be restrained and the other referee literally had to be a shield and absorbed some of Imama’s punches.
There are two sides to this incident: A side I like, and a side I don’t like. First of all, I have no problem with Imama coming to the defense of his teammate. The 15-year-old Veleno seemed to be in a bad position against an opponent that was five years older than him. Not to mention that this is the role Imama plays on his team and his teammates love and respect him for it.
Related: Tampa Bay Lightning Prospect Profile: Boko Imama
One of Imama’s teammates commented on the incident following the game and had nothing but good things to say about the Lightning prospect.
"“tremendous respect for Imama. I knew he was sincere when told me he would take care of Veleno like a big brother”"
With that, there was one thing I did not like about the incident. Though it is never wise to jump off the bench to get involved with something happening on the ice, I don’t mind that as much. However, after the incident, Imama skated off of the ice and spat towards the Halifax goaltender on his way out. That is something Imama cannot continue to do, as the act is just plain disrespectful.
Personally, I like Boko Imama as a prospect. He is the agitator and fighter the Tampa Bay Lightning organization severely lacked, and also has the ability to contribute offensively. There is no doubt that Imama will be facing a very long suspension for this incident, and except for the spitting incident, Imama once again showed why the Lightning took him in the 6th round of the 2015 NHL draft.
You may not like what he did now, but how about if it were a fellow Lightning prospect up in Syracuse or NHL player down the line that was attacked. Especially if it were a star, fans would have no problem with Imama jumping into the play and defending his teammate. Imama has the respect of his teammates, and his actions last night was another reason why.