The NHL Alumni Association revealed earlier on Wednesday that former player Sergei Berezin, 52, had passed away. Berezin, a 1971 native of Voskresensk, played seven seasons in the National Hockey League between 1996 and 2003.
Playing for Khimik Voskresensk in the Soviet Hockey Championship league, Berezin began his professional career in his hometown of Voskresensk in the early 1990s. Berezin, who was born in the same town as Vyacheslav Kozlov, was able to play alongside the latter a year after Berezin entered the league as a professional talent just before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Many players still faced significant obstacles in their pursuit of a professional career in North America, even though a number of former Soviet players defected to the NHL prior to the state’s fall.
Berezin’s moment would come when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him in the 10th round (256th overall) of the 1994 NHL Draft, following his rise to prominence as a point-per-game player in the now-defunct International Hockey League with Voskresensk. In the NHL season of 1996–97, Berezin made his professional debut for the Maple Leafs following a brief time in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga from 1994–96. Berezin, who often plays in the middle six of Toronto’s forward lineup, developed into an important backup scorer very fast. Berezin finished sixth in the Calder Trophy voting after scoring 25 goals and 41 points in 73 games during his rookie campaign.
Over 284 regular season games over the next four years, all with the Maple Leafs, Berezin would earn 179 points and 101 goals. Throughout 40 postseason games, he scored 12 goals and added 27 points, which was a good contribution for Toronto. Over the next two seasons, Berezin spent time with four different clubs after his time with the Maple Leafs. With 18 goals and 31 points in 66 games during the 2001–02 season, he saw a comeback with the Chicago Blackhawks. However, he was essentially useless with the Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, and Washington Capitals.After the 2002–03 NHL season, Berezin announced his retirement from the league and played one more season with CSKA Moscow in the Russian Superleague. During his NHL career, the Russian forward participated in 502 games, scoring 286 points and 160 goals. PHR offers its sympathies to Berezin’s friends and family.
