Akil Thomas was destined to play hockey. By far, Burke said, the biggest of Thomas’s career. Inside the boardroom, the team owners Bill Burke and Denise Burke were among the many stopping by to congratulate Akil on his goal and medal.“For him to be that one who got it, and made it like a worldwide thing, was everything to me. It’s crazy, just watching it,” he said at the Niagara Ice Dogs boardroom while wearing his gold medal around his neck. He calls her his biggest supporter, but also acknowledged that he also has a lot of supporters in St. Catherine’s, where he is the captain of the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs. “I was falling down a bit, kind of crashed into the goalie, but yeah, it was crazy how everything kind of happened.”“From day one there was something about him.
“From day one there was something about him. Get to know the LA Kings prospect who scored the Golden Goal for Team Canada.Though his mom, Akilah, may be biased, she has no doubt in her mind that he'll accomplish his life-long goal and make a difference in the world of hockey.After being drafted 51st overall by the Kings in the 2018 NHL Draft, Thomas has been turning heads both with his OHL team and internationally.
"I've been dreaming about this my whole life," Thomas said. I was thinking now would be a pretty good time to score.”Akil’s mother sat beside him while he recounted the winning goal, beaming with pride.She said that she was watching the game on a live stream in Atlanta, Georgia, and the feed froze just as he got the puck. "It was almost like he was a caged animal just waiting to let loose. She said it took her breath away and she didn’t know he had scored until a friend called her on FaceTime.Akil told CTV News Toronto that he had a feeling the morning of the gold medal game that he was going to score a big goal, but after missing an open net in the second period, he says he thought a lot about it in between periods. “It means the world, you look at all the high-end goals and big moments goals that Akil has scored for us, and they pale in comparison to this.”Speaking with CTV News Toronto on Tuesday, the 20-year-old said he has watched the replay of his game-winning goal at least 50 times. He’s watched Akil develop as a player for four years, get drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, and become one of the Ice Dogs all-time leading scorers.
From day one.”The game-winning “golden goal” also has people putting Thomas in the same sentence as hockey legends Paul Henderson and Sydney Crosby—something Akil admits will take a while to sink in.“The big time players show up in big time games, and big time moments. "Everything was hockey from day one," his mom, Akilah said.
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Akil credits his mother for much of his success.“The reason why I was thinking I was going to score is because of my mum. Most recently, he scored the gold medal-winning goal at the 2019 World Junior Championship, securing the championship for Team Canada. Before he could talk, he knew hockey. Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. He’s that kind of guy.”But he said he didn’t have much time to react. Akil was pretty quiet as he sat on the bench Tuesday while the rest of his teammates, who he hadn’t seen in a month, practiced. ""He's going to make sure accomplishes what he sets out to do," she said.Akil Thomas was destined to play hockey.
He said he wants to get back out there for the team’s next home game and wants to lead them to a Memorial Cup Championship before he leaves the league to peruse his NHL dreams.Joey Burke, the son and the team’s general manager, said he had a gut feeling on game day that Akil was going to do something big. Akil was accompanied by his mother, Akilah Thomas, a proud mother of five. But I’m still a person, right here, just living.” “I don’t remember … every time I watch it, it just kind of looks like someone else who kind of skates like me. She always taught me to believe in myself.”“I’m glad I made my country proud. At least, that's what his family will tell you.
"Everything was hockey from day one," his mom, Akilah said.
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