5 random players you forgot were on the Toronto Maple Leafs
By Kyle McKenna
As one of the most historic NHL franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had many players don the blue and white. Here are five you may have forgotten about.
While the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1966-67, a number of All-Star caliber and notable skaters have dressed for the Original Six franchise since that time.
There have also been forgettable players that skated with playoff-caliber Toronto squads, who also experienced all the same heartbreak or struggles over the past handful of decades.
Hockey fanatics, it’s time to unite — and revisit five random players you forgot were on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
5. Sergei Berezin
It seemed that former Maple Leafs forward Sergei Berezin was always overlooked.
The 5-foot-10 winger fell to the 10th round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, but did haunt every team that passed over the winger. No. 94 finished his rookie campaign in Toronto with 25 goals and chipped in 16 helpers for a total of 41 points in 1996-97.
However, Berezin’s freshman year in the NHL was overshadowed by skaters such as Bryan Berard, Jarome Iginla, Wade Redden and Jamie Langenbrunner. Fans likely remember all of those skaters more so than the former late-round Toronto draft pick.
The Russian native skated with the Leafs from 1996 until the end of the 2000-01 campaign and was always a point-producer. Still, he was surely lost in the mix considering the Leafs were Stanley Cup contenders each year and entailed plenty of popular skaters.
Mats Sundin, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Tomas Kaberle, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Steve Thomas were just a handful of skaters that were teammates with Berezin at one point in Toronto. It’s safe to say that fans recall those players over No. 94.
While Berezin recorded two 50-point campaigns North of the Border, he was never elected to an All-Star Game or took home any NHL Awards.
His spotlight continued to fade after he joined the then Phoenix Coyotes in 2001-02 and then skated for the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals before retiring after the 2002-03 season.