Amirov, who was the No. 15 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February and recently completed his fourth round of chemotherapy. The 21-year-old is home in Russia, continuing his recovery.
"It hits a little bit differently with our connection with Rodion Amirov and his fight that he's in," coach Sheldon Keefe said Saturday about Hockey Fights Cancer night.
Before the Maple Leafs hosted the Boston Bruins, a 2-1 win, they wore special lavender jerseys and put lavender tape on their sticks during warmups in support of the cause.
Hockey Fights Cancer is an initiative founded by the NHL and NHL Players' Association in 1998 with the aim of raising money for cancer research.
"I think it's very important," Toronto defenseman Mark Giordano told NHL.com. "I think the League has done a great job of raising the awareness.
"Every team participates and tonight we will have the colors on in warmup and on our sticks. It's important to recognize it because obviously everyone has been touched or affected by cancer. It's something I'm happy to be a part of as a player but more importantly I think the League is doing a great job of raising awareness."
Amirov has many supporters while he continues his recovery, including Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin.
At the Maple Leafs' home opener on Oct. 13, Amirov was introduced to Ovechkin by Toronto goalie Ilya Samsonov, who played his first three NHL seasons with Washington. The three Russian players spoke for about 10 minutes in the hallway between the dressing rooms at Scotiabank Arena, and Ovechkin went out of his way to offer Amirov any help he could.
"Alex, he's nice guy," Samsonov told NHL.com. "He's so friendly with the hockey group ... he came right away to meet with Rodion. He said, 'Good luck, best of luck and Rodion, if you need anything, just to call me.' He just offered support. I think that's nice for Rodion, and he really likes how 'Ovi' plays. So now Rodion has Ovi's number and if not, he texts me and I'll get it figured out with Ovi."
Amirov spent a few weeks around the Maple Leafs in October, when he was given a taste of the NHL experience. He was included in the pregame introductions for the home opener against the Capitals, standing behind the bench alongside other players who were on injured reserve at the time, and was announced to the crowd.
"We've had him around," Keefe said Oct. 13. "He's been in some of our meetings. He's been around the facility. It's been really nice to have him. Coming here, we were wanting him to be a part of things and have some experiences with our team.
"You talk about competing, here's a guy who has been through four rounds of chemo to be here and still a big smile on his face in the facility every single day. He's got the ultimate battle ahead of him here and he's right in the thick of it, but he's here and enjoying his time here and we're enjoying having him around."
Samsonov said having Amirov around the team for the first few weeks of the season was as valuable to the Maple Leafs as it hopefully was for Amirov.
"I think for us and for him, it was really important," Samsonov said. "I am really appreciative of meeting with him. He's an awesome guy, he's so positive. When he's come, he's brought a lot of positive to our team. He's tried to speak with all our teammates to say, 'Hi, how are you?' His English [is] not so great but he's tried talking with everybody."
Amriov told a Russian newspaper in August his hope is to return to the ice at some point in November, though Keefe said on Oct. 13 that he did not have an update on Amirov's potential return to play.
"I'm not sure on the status of that," Keefe said. "From my knowledge, he just finished his fourth round of chemo not too long ago. His spirits are up but obviously he's got a big fight ahead of him here. He's working with our training staff and in the gym. He hasn't been on the ice with us yet."
Asked again Saturday if there were any plans for Amirov to play this season, Keefe said, "He's got a big fight on his hands here."
