Sergei Berezin, a dependable scorer for the Maple Leafs who spent five of his seven NHL seasons with Toronto, passed away at the age of 52.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the NHL Alumni Association declared Berezin’s passing. It was not stated what caused the death.
The Maple Leafs picked Berezin, a native of Voskresensk, Russia, 256th overall in the 10th round of the 1994 NHL draft.
In four of his five seasons as a Maple Leaf, he scored more than twenty goals.
The Leafs released a statement on X, the previous Twitter platform, saying, “We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Sergei Berezin.” “Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
In 1998–99, he had his greatest season, setting career highs with 37 goals and 59 points. In 17 postseason games, he scored six goals and six assists, helping the Leafs reach the Eastern Conference final before falling to Buffalo in five games.
That season, he scored one of his most famous goals against Philadelphia in the first round. In Game 6, he scored with just one minute remaining, and the Leafs prevailed 1-0 to win the series.
After the 2000–01 season, Berezin was dealt for Mikael Renberg by the Phoenix Coyotes.
In 502 NHL games with Toronto, Phoenix, Montreal, Chicago, and Washington, he scored 286 points (160 goals, 126 assists) and added 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 52 postseason contests.
