‘Play for my son’: Mother of hockey player who died from puck to the head has touching message for youngster who hit fatal shot

The mother of late Russian ice hockey player Timur Faizutdinov, who died after being hit in the head by a puck, has said she doesn’t blame the player who hit the fatal shot and that it was a tragic accident.

Elena Faizutdinova expressed her support for Lokomotiv player Dmitry Tyuvilin, saying that it’s hard for him to handle the pain, but adding that he should find the inner power to overcome the tragedy and “play for her son.”

“I just want to say that I don’t blame him. It’s a hard time for him as well. It was not his fault, it was an accident. I want to personally meet him. I asked MHL’s management to present me with an opportunity to meet him, but this hasn’t yet happened,” she said.

“Maybe the boy is scared to look into my eyes. That’s why I want to talk to him and tell him that I don’t blame him. I want to say that now he should play for my son as well and become better and stronger,” she added.

The accident occurred on March 12 in Yaroslavl, which is 250km northeast of Moscow.

Local side Lokomotiv were hosting the first-round playoff match against Dynamo when, in the middle of the second period, defenseman Tyuvilin sent the puck into his opponents’ zone.

The rubber disk hit Faizutdinov’s head with force, despite his helmet, as he stood on the blue line.

The 19-year-old fell to the ice and was immediately taken to hospital. However, despite efforts to save his life, he died four days after sustaining the accidental injury.