The tragedy happened in Canada. In the town of London, Abakar Kazbekov, a young Russian hockey player who played for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) London Knights, has died.
According to The London Free Press, the promising striker fell out of his home window in the early morning of 17 December, shortly before the next training session his team was due to attend. Police, who arrived at the scene at 8:20 am local time, did not record any signs of violent death, but have launched an investigation into the incident and have yet to come to a conclusion on the causes of the tragedy.
Abakar’s father, Zaur Kazbekov, won bronze medals at the Russian Championship and World Cup in freestyle wrestling in the early 2000s. At the same time, in addition to Abakar, there are nine more children in the family of Kazbekov Sr.
“The shoulder constantly bothered him. The player’s manager, Marty Jazowski, told Canadian media that he had been unlucky due to injuries he had received in the past year and a half. “I was devastated and heartbroken. Abakar has a large family, nine brothers and sisters. He loved his family, he was a strong man, very disciplined and had a great work ethic. He was just a really nice guy.”
“When the Knights of London called me and asked about him, I remember saying that this boy was incredible. Had he entered the OHL top draft, he could have been a first-round pick. All he wanted was to be on the ice. He went to hockey school during the day and trained with us. It was very kind. I would tell the kids that this man never made mistakes in his exercises, even though he didn’t speak English. “Follow Abacar,” said Mark Filippone, who coached the Russian hockey player with the Won Kings, the first North American team.
Abakar Kazbekov followed in the footsteps of his older brother Zaur, who went to Canada and played for one of the Toronto Big Hockey League (GTHL) teams.
Abakar graduated from the Vityaz system and played in the same team with Ivan Miroshnichenko, one of the most promising Russian young players in youth hockey, and met in the national team of the Central Federal District, where he was called up. another talent of the generation – Matvey Michkov.
Kazbekov traveled to Canada in the 2019/20 season, where he managed to play for Everest Academy, Vaughn Kings-U16 and Mississauga Senators-U18, after which he was not selected overall in the OHL-U18 Priority Draft for Canadian residents. (third highest league draft) London Knights.
The Russian player, who played nine games for the Knights last season, scored a goal with a -3 benefit indicator and a two-minute penalty, and this season he played 12 games, made an assist and scored -4 goals.
“Today I join the entire community mourning the tragic loss of Knights of London actor Abakar Kazbekov. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends in Russia, and to his teammates and friends here in Canada, OHL commissioner David Barnes said in a statement.
“Abakar has been a valuable member of the team since 2021. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates,” the London Knights said in a statement.
The team’s next match with the Flint Firebirds was postponed due to what happened, and all of Kazbekov’s teammates replaced their avatar on social networks with a picture of the Russian striker’s game number 15.