Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Sergei Berezin dead at 52
TORONTO — Sergei Berezin, who played five of his seven NHL seasons with Toronto and was a reliable scorer for the Maple Leafs, has died at 52.
The NHL Alumni Association announced Berezin’s death in a social media post Wednesday. A cause of death was not provided.
Berezin, from Voskresensk, Russia, was selected by the Maple Leafs in the 10th round, 256th overall, at the 1994 NHL
He played five seasons with the Maple Leafs, passing the 20-goal mark in four of them.
“We are incredibly saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Sergei Berezin,” the Leafs said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
His best season came in 1998-99 when he set career highs with 37 goals and 59 points. He added six goals and six assists in 17 playoff games as the Leafs advanced to the Eastern Conference final before losing to Buffalo in five games.
One of his most memorable goals came in the first round against Philadelphia that season. He scored with one minute left in Game 6 as the Leafs won the series with a 1-0 victory.
Berezin was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Mikael Renberg after the 2000-01 season.
He had 286 points (160 goals, 126 assists) over 502 career NHL games with Toronto, Phoenix, Montreal, Chicago and Washington and added 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) over 52 playoff games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2024.
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and brother killed when bicycles hit by car on eve of sister’s wedding
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said Friday.
New Jersey State Police said the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township on Thursday night when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind about 8 p.m., less than a half-hour after sunset. They were pronounced dead at the scene some 35 miles south of Philadelphia.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother, Matt, 29, are Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives and were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.
Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press. He failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said, though his blood-alcohol level was not immediately available.
Higgins was jailed at a Salem County facility and will remain there until his pretrial detention hearing, which is scheduled for Sept. 5. A court spokesperson said Higgins at his first appearance Friday was represented by a public defender but indicated he planned to hire his own attorney. Public defenders in New Jersey do not comment on cases.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
“Just devastating news for all of us connected with the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, said in a phone interview with the AP. “Both Matty and Johnny were terrifically admired by all of us. Wonderful young guys, and they impressed a lot of us off the ice.”
York raved about parents Guy and Jane and the family’s dedication to their children and hockey. Gaudreau had been married to his wife, Meredith, since 2021, and they have two children under 2, Noa, who was born in September 2022, and Johnny, who was born in February.