Former Maple Leafs forward Sergei Berezin dead at 52

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 draft.

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."

The NHL Alumni Association is heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of Sergei Berezin at the age of 52 years old.<br><br>Sergei was drafted in the 10th round of the 1994 Entry Draft to the <a href="https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MapleLeafs</a>. He would soon show his spectacular play when he joined the Leafs roster in… <a href="https://t.co/WoB3bn8X3S">pic.twitter.com/WoB3bn8X3S</a>

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