Leafs honour family of late Rodion Amirov at Scotiabank Arena
The Toronto Maple Leafs held a sombre moment on Thursday evening to honour the family of Rodion Amirov, a prospect of the team who passed away last year.
With both parents and two siblings in attendance in Toronto for last night’s contest against the New Jersey Devils, the Scotiabank Arena crowd offered a loud ovation for the Amirov family, who were making their first trip to Toronto from Russia.
The Toronto Maple Leafs honoured the late Rodion Amirov with his family in attendance last night. đź’™ pic.twitter.com/BSi9reHsNM
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 12, 2024
Amirov, who passed away at the age of 21 in August 2023, was selected 15th overall by the Leafs in the 2020 NHL Draft. He last played hockey in the 2021-22 season, suiting up for Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL.
Amirov had been fighting a brain tumour that was publicly announced in February 2022.
“Two years ago, Rodion was diagnosed with a brain tumour. From the moment he received the news, he refused to speak in the negative, determined to enjoy every day, facing it with the same positive attitude he showed during his hockey career,” Amirov’s agent, Dan Milstein, wrote at the time of his passing.
“The entire Maple Leafs organization is devastated by this tragic loss,” Leafs president Brendan Shanahan wrote back in August. “Over the duration of his courageous battle, Rodion’s positivity inspired everyone around him, and he made lasting impressions with our team and fans in his brief visits to Toronto.”
Amirov had received a lengthy standing ovation at a game in October 2022.
“This is a guy who’s been through four rounds of chemotherapy and still has a big smile on his face every day,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said at the time.
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