Nigerian-born Akim Aliu is one tough customer

The Black Hawks drafted Akim Aliu in the second round last week. Akim "The Dream" was born in Nigeria, raised in the Ukraine, and moved to Canada when he was 11. What a story. His father was Nigerian and his mother was Ukrainian.
Aliu is a tough guy with great hands. He scored 20 goals and 42 points in 53 games with the Sudbury Wolves last season. He also accumulated 104 penalty minutes.
Aliu is probably more known for his controversial side to this point. In 2005, he refused to be a part of an initiation ritual with a few teammates with the Windsor Spitfires. The ritual was to "cram his naked body into a hot, smelly toilet along with several other fellow Windsor Spitfires rookies." His refusal to do so may have angered Spitfire teammate and Flyer's prospect Steve Downie and they met head to head in practice (video).
Aliu is a brave dude. Check out the following clip of him challenging a much bigger opponent (Justin Wallingford) in a tangle.


Ouch. Not a good result, but a hell of a fight, huh?
He could become the second Nigerian-born player to play in the NHL, apparently. Who was the first?

T Tags: Akim+Aliu BlackHawks Draft+Pick Fight