When his teachers suggested he take up skating at the BLEU BLANC BOUGE rink in LaSalle's Hayward Park across the street from his old school, Agbon Tafara couldn't wait to lace up.
"Since I was small, I always wanted to play hockey," recounted the former student of L'eau Vive school. "When I heard we were going to go skate, I was super happy."
One of those teachers, Annie Gravel, recalls deciding along with his physical education teacher that Agbon Tafara could benefit from the motivation that would come with participating in the sport.
"He really wanted to learn how to skate and when we offered it to him, he was really excited," described Gravel. "It took him one or two sessions and he was already getting much better than everybody else. He really wanted to play hockey."
Agbon Tafara was a natural almost from the get-go, but he may never have had an opportunity to get in the game if not for some help from the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation's BLEU BLANC BOUGE program, presented by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities.
The program has already helped build eight multipurpose, refrigerated outdoor rinks - with a ninth one being inaugurated in Ahuntsic-Cartierville on Wednesday - and also provides support for children who would otherwise have difficulty getting involved in hockey.
"They've been helping him out. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the money to do all those sports. Hockey is an expensive sport," explained Gravel. "But the Foundation [in partnership with the Hockey Canada Foundation and the LaSalle Minor Hockey Association] is behind him; they've been providing him with gear and [registration fees] the last three years, which has helped his parents a lot.
"His family would not have been able to do it and keep going with it. He's very lucky to have the Foundation behind him."
Although Agbon Tafara remembers falling a lot the first time he stepped out onto the ice, the youngster - who is now in grade six - has come a long way from those icy tumbles in what is surely a huge point of pride for the Foundation.
Not only is he in his fourth year of playing organized hockey, but the soon-to-be 12-year-old, who describes himself as a high-scoring center with a strong wrist shot, was recently named captain of the Atom B LaSalle Cougars.
"He's a big motivator for everybody, he's always happy to sing with everybody and have fun. He looks so shy, but when he's on the ice, it's the opposite," concluded Gravel. "It's a lot of fun for him.
"This kid is amazing."
Thanks to the BLEU BLANC BOUGE rinks, including the recently-inaugurated location in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, hundreds of kids across Quebec will have a similar chance to suit up and get in the game.
