The Toronto Maple Leafs took to social media to share who they are playing for as part of their annual 'Hockey Fights Cancer' game.
Maple Leafs defenseman TJ Brodie held a sign stating that he's fighting for his father, Jay, who passed away after a battle with cancer in September.
Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and John Tavares held up signs as they fight for Rodion Amirov, the Maple Leafs prospect who passed away in August after a hard-fought battle with cancer.
Amirov, Toronto's first-round pick (15th) overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, died at age 21 after a brain tumor was revealed in February of 2022.
In addition, Marner also honored Hayden Foulin, who bravely faced acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 22 months. She crossed paths with Marner during the player's visit to the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Centre in 2015 while he was playing for the London Knights.
Their bond quickly deepened, and in November 2018, Marner affectionately referred to Hayden as his "hero." Just four months later, he he treated Hayden and her family to a Maple Leafs game in celebration of her seventh birthday, culminating with a special cake.
On October 20, 2019, Hayden succumbed to her battle with cancer.
"I haven't taken the bracelet off since she gave it to me," Marner told Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com in February. "It's a reminder that you can make a difference in life. It was hard to see her go through her ups and downs. It's devastating to think she's gone, but when you can make someone smile -- and we had lots of them -- it's priceless."
More must-reads: