Rival KHL team donates tournament winnings to the family of a 21-year-old player who died earlier this week

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Mike Armenti
August 17, 2023 (9:36)

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Heartwarming gestures towards the family of Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov have poured in from all over the globe since the young winger's tragic death earlier this week. Amirov passed away on Monday following a year-and-a-half long battle with a brain tumor.

The death of a family member is always hard, but the death of a child is unfathomable. What the parents of Amirov must be going through right now... it's heart-wrenching. However, an act of kindness and respect from a rival KHL club will help the Amirov family during this difficult time, at least from a financial perspective.

The KHL has started an annual 3-on-3 tournament during the preseason, the Sochi Hockey Open, with several teams participating. The winning team in 2023 was St. Petersburg SKA - the team that top Russian prospect Matvei Michkov plays for. The purse for the win amounted to 1 million rubles, all of which will be donated to the Amirov family, per SKA coach Roman Rotenberg.

"The news of our comrade Rodion Amirov's untimely passing shook everyone on our team - coaches, players, staff - to the core. As you remember, last week SKA won the Sochi XHL tournament and won a million rubles. Today we collectively decided to transfer this money to Rodion Amirov's family.
Our friend Rodion, we will never forget you!" - SKA coach Roman Rotenberg on Telegram

Amirov's agent, Dan Milstein, recently revealed how much Amirov's condition had deteriorated this year as he battled the deadly disease, including losing his sight and his ability to walk. Milstein also mentioned several amazing gestures from the hockey community in many countries, including the KHL's Ufa Salavat Yulayev, who signed Amirov to a contract for next season knowing full well he'd never play hockey again.

Source: Sport24.ru