Good morning Maple Leafs fans.

Yesterday, Salavat Yulaev held a pre-game ceremony honoring passed player Rodion Amirov, and retiring his number.

User rouselofgoalies shared a link and translation on r/Leafs with an interview with his father

Translation: https://reddit.com/r/leafs/s/5hxwQYPAM2

Article:

«Папа, я вижу сны. А там — лед, и я играю в хоккей». Как жил и как боролся со смертью Родион Амиров
11 сентября в Уфе под своды арены «Салавата Юлаева» будет поднят номер 27, под которым выступал Родион Амиров. 14 августа молодой форвард ушел из жизни из-за опухоли мозга. «Матч ТВ» записал монолог отца хоккеиста — Руслана Амирова.
Матч ТВПавел Лысенков

I won't copy the whole thing but here's a couple passages:

“In recent days, Kyle even wanted to fly to Munich - Rodion left on August 14, and Dubas already had a ticket for the 11th.”
“Toronto has released 100 medals that will be awarded to the most respected people who have made significant contributions to the history of the club and the NHL. So, Shanahan himself came to Rodion at six in the morning, when it became known that the disease had worsened and he needed to fly home from Toronto, and presented him with this medal - the very first of a hundred.”

It's still hard to hear these stories of talent unfulfilled, and someone's journey cut short. But it's uplifting to hear everything everyone around him did for him, and how our team did everything they could to make his dreams come true.

"Through my example, my fight for life and my determination, I want to give hope to all of those fighting cancer"

The PWHL has ratified their collective bargaining agreement with their players ahead of play, a first for women's sports.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90950346/hilary-knight-billie-jean-king-professional-womens-hockey-league?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

The most watched prospect in the KHL is on the move. Perhaps now he'll see some ice and stop being punished for wanting to play in the NHL.

The pressure of the pre-season is almost here. So who's facing the most?

https://dailyhive.com/toronto/5-leafs-under-pressure

Quinn Hughes is the 15h captain of the Vancouver Canucks. That's about half as many jerseys as he's worn for them.

Canucks name Quinn Hughes 15th captain in franchise history
Hughes is the first defenceman to hold the honour for Vancouver since a three-player rotation during the 1990-91 season that included blue-liner Doug Lidster.
Sportsnet| September 11, 2023, 11:22 AM

Keep an eye out today for the Traverse City roster. The tournament starts Thursday so, they should have an idea who's going.

Or they'll wait until the bus crosses the border into Michigan to announce.

Enjoy your day!

From The Branches