A terrible misfortune has befallen the world of hockey. On Monday, at the age of 21, striker of Ufa “Salavat Yulaev” and NHL club “Toronto Maple Leafs” died. Rodion Amirov.
Until the last days, agent Dan Milstein was at his side. He told what a brave fight against a deadly disease the young athlete had.
— Very heavy news, it is difficult to speak. Tell us the details of Rodion’s last days…
— The exacerbation of the disease occurred in October 2022. Then the doctors in Toronto gave Rodion only six months. It was stage four cancer, a brain tumor.
He returned to Russia, where Skolkovo doctors fought for his life for another 10 months. But two weeks ago they were helpless. Then they made the decision to take Rodion to Germany, where there was the ghostly last chance for treatment. And now he’s gone…
But the guy fought. For a year and a half, since February 2022, no matter how bad it was for him, when he couldn’t walk and lost his sight, he never complained about anything.
After all, in October he came to Toronto not only for treatment, but also for training. I really wanted to get back into hockey. If I remember correctly, the general manager of Toronto, Kyle Dubas, accompanied by Canadian doctors, called me at 1:18 in the morning: “Come get the boy, accompany him to his native country. If you don’t get it back now, it may never come home. There is a steep escalation…
We drove from the airport to me in Miami to pick things up. We spent two days on the beach to decompress the guy. I ask him, “Rodion, how are you?” “Yes, I’m fine, I’m more worried about my parents.”
He only thought of others. He wasn’t moaning, he was fighting. And I tried to meet each day on a positive note, with a smile. Although he lost his sight about six months ago and can no longer walk.
– I know that “Toronto” and “Salavat Yulaev” fought for Amirov, provided assistance.
— Yes, the clubs did what they could. As much as possible to make him feel comfortable. Ufa gave Rodion a contract for the following season, knowing full well that he would never play hockey again. Until the very last second he was a member of the team, feeling like a real hockey player.
When I got to Rodion, I told him all the latest news, gossip from the hockey world, who signed what contract, what was going on. He was completely on the subject and lived with this news.
When the NHL organized campaigns against cancer, all Russian hockey players wrote on a purple sheet: “Amirov”. The AHL team in Toronto, where the guys don’t make a lot of money, pitched in and gave back six thousand dollars.
Many guys from Ufa came to see him. He talked all the time with Salavat Yulaev players. Rodion lived in a rented apartment in the capital. His parents tried to entertain him by taking him to various restaurants in Moscow where he met friends. And when Captain Grisha Panin came to see him, he offered Rodion his apartment to live in.
Many from the hockey world, from the NHL, were constantly calling, asking, asking questions, interested and supported in any way possible.
– When did you last see each other?
– Last week – met in Munich, where he was treated. Rodion fought, never looked back. Even then, I told him boldly to cheer himself up, “Look, I’m an agent, we’re only interested in the money. Come on, stop hurting yourself – get on the ice, get back in the game. We have to do business.” They then laughed at the joke. He smiled again, although last week he couldn’t hold his head. The condition was terrible, the disease won.
But when, in October 2022, he was given six months, and they passed, in April 2023, Rodion said with a laugh, “Well, those Canadian doctors don’t know anything. Here I am, here, alive – and they’ve already buried me. Each day that passed was like a feat. He led this fight with courage and perseverance.
– They wrote that the cancer was caused by a blow to the board during a hockey game. It’s true?
– That’s not true, this match has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, cancer is unpredictable. When the disease was discovered, it was already the fourth stage – and in a place where it was impossible to perform an operation.
What did he dream of?
– Dubas really wanted to realize this dream – that Rodion plays in the NHL. After all, the Maple Leafs selected him in the 2020 first-round draft at number 15. And when Amirov arrived in Canada last fall, there was a preseason game between Toronto and Ottawa.
Dubas already agreed with the Senators that Rodion needed to get on the ice and play as much as possible. We have already made visas for the parents so that they can also fly to Canada. Unfortunately, he didn’t succeed. He didn’t have enough strength, his coordination wasn’t the same – he couldn’t skate anymore. But you can find photos of Rodion waving to spectators and hockey players in the arena.
Where will he be buried?
– Now we are engaged in logistics to transport Rodion from Germany to Ufa. It takes several days.
– expresses its sincere condolences to the Amirov family and to all those who are shocked by this tragedy.
– THANKS. And I will say again that we will always remember Rodion’s courage, his desire to live, his will and his smile. We liked him very much. He will always be with us in our memories.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
