Late Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov has number retired by KHL team

The late Rodion Amirov, a former first-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was honored by his former Kontinental Hockey League club on Monday.

Amirov died on Aug. 14 due to a brain tumor. He was 21.

HC Salavat Yulaev retired Amirov’s No. 27 prior to its game against Metallurg Magnitogorsk with his family in attendance. Amirov’s father, Ruslan, spoke to Russian sports network Match TV about his son’s passion for sports and his dedication to becoming a professional hockey player.

“My main motivation for giving an interview, as a father and a witness to everything that happened to my son, is to thank people from the bottom of my heart,” Ruslan Amirov said to Match TV via Google Translate. “Thank you from our family and from Rodion, although he himself can no longer express it in words.

“We thank you for the attention and participation that the hockey community, clubs and organizations, and fans have given us. Thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs, personally to Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas. For the way they accepted Rodion, empathized and participated in his fate.”

Amirov’s father spoke about the quality of care his son received in Canada, Russia and Germany, while thanking Leafs president Shanahan, former general manager Dubas and Rodion Amirov’s agent, Dan Milstein, for their love and support.

Ruslan Amirov also explained in painstaking detail how Rodion processed his cancer diagnosis and how he often went to the movies to get a sense of normalcy, even as his vision deteriorated.

Ahead of Monday’s ceremony, Amirov stated that he was contacted by Salavat Yulaev’s technical director, Rinat Bashirov, and agreed to the ceremony once he learned that team captain Grigory Panin asked for Amirov’s number to be raised on behalf of the club.

A very important point that we told the management of Salavat Yulaev: We gave permission to use number 27 if someone on the team wants to play under it. Even if the sweater is raised under the arches of the palace. But we do not call for the number to be taken out of circulation.

...Rodion often said: “By my example, fight for life and confidence, I want to give hope to everyone who is fighting against cancer.”

You can't give up. We must move on with our lives. And be grateful for every day.

The parables say that children are a gift from God. We are grateful to the Lord for these 21 years and for every moment that we lived with our son.

And when Rodion, at the age of 10, wrote on a piece of paper that he wanted to become a good person...

He must accomplish something if so many people remember him now in their hearts, sharing our pain.