Boko Imama's as tough as they come, but he's got it together, too. He's not the type to lose it.
So I'd suspected something was seriously amiss when he appeared to do precisely that tonight in the third period of the Penguins' eventual 6-1 loss to the Lightning here at Amalie Arena, chasing Brandon Hagel all over the rink to chop at him once, then twice, then glove him to the back of them helmet, then a third chop, before finally shoving him to the ice:
Total penalty assessment: Two minors for slashing, plus a 10-minute misconduct. Or, basically, way, way, way less than he deserved.
Why'd he do it?
Well, I'd thought it had to do with Hagel having hurt Matt Grzelcyk early in the second on a shoulder check into the Pittsburgh end boards that had Grzelcyk down for a spell, though he'd bounce back on the next shift. But then, I also thought that was clean, and that none of the Penguins on the ice -- or the bench, for that matter -- reacted in any way.
Turns out I was mistaken.
What Imama didn't like, as he'd tell me in the locker room afterward, was Hagel "running around" looking for more hits once the game was well out of reach.
"I mean, it's 6-0," as he'd tell me, followed by a few plenty appropriate un-printables.
Good for him, man. More and more, he seems to be the real deal.
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
1:10 am - 03.26.2025Tampa, Fla.Drive to the Net: The Boko motive
Boko Imama's as tough as they come, but he's got it together, too. He's not the type to lose it.
So I'd suspected something was seriously amiss when he appeared to do precisely that tonight in the third period of the Penguins' eventual 6-1 loss to the Lightning here at Amalie Arena, chasing Brandon Hagel all over the rink to chop at him once, then twice, then glove him to the back of them helmet, then a third chop, before finally shoving him to the ice:
Total penalty assessment: Two minors for slashing, plus a 10-minute misconduct. Or, basically, way, way, way less than he deserved.
Why'd he do it?
Well, I'd thought it had to do with Hagel having hurt Matt Grzelcyk early in the second on a shoulder check into the Pittsburgh end boards that had Grzelcyk down for a spell, though he'd bounce back on the next shift. But then, I also thought that was clean, and that none of the Penguins on the ice -- or the bench, for that matter -- reacted in any way.
Turns out I was mistaken.
What Imama didn't like, as he'd tell me in the locker room afterward, was Hagel "running around" looking for more hits once the game was well out of reach.
"I mean, it's 6-0," as he'd tell me, followed by a few plenty appropriate un-printables.
Good for him, man. More and more, he seems to be the real deal.
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Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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