All his life, Akil Thomas has worn the jersey number 44. After getting traded to the OHL’s Peteborough Petes shortly after his heroics at the World Juniors, Thomas will continue to wear 44, but upon learning that the last Petes player to wear No. 44 was the late Steve Montador, he decided to make a very special gesture.
After 10 years in the NHL, Montador passed away in 2015 at the age of 35. Thomas reached out to Steve’s brother, Chris, for his permission to wear 44 in honour of Steve.
As Chris says, it’s definitely a respectful move for Thomas to do this, and we can’t think of anyone better to carry the number on than the guy who scored the game-winning goal to win gold for Canada at the World Juniors.
It’s been a quick transition for Thomas since his return from the Czech Republic to continue playing in the OHL. The Petes acquired him from the Niagara IceDogs just days after he landed, but at least he was able to share a special moment with his mother at the airport — she even flew in from her job in Atlanta to surprise him!
