| Perry Berezan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 5, 1964 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Right |
| Played for | Calgary Flames Minnesota North Stars San Jose Sharks |
| NHL Draft | 55th overall, 1983 Calgary Flames |
| Playing career | 1985–1993 |
Perry Berezan (born Perry Edmund Berezan on December 5, 1964) is a Canadian former ice hockey centre who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1985 and 1993.
He was selected in the third round (55th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.
He also played for the Minnesota North Stars & San Jose Sharks and is also an alumnus of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey program.
Playing Career[]
Junior & College Playing Hockey[]
Perry played two seasons of Junior A with the St. Albert Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) between 1981 and 1983.
In 104 games for the Saints, he recorded 53 goals and 129 points.
He was later recognized by the AJHL as one of its top-50 all-time players during the league's 50th anniversary in 2013–14.
The Calgary Flames selected Perry with their third selection (55th overall) at the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, but he opted to first play college hockey with the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.
During his freshman season of 1983–84, he tied with Dan Brennan for the team lead at 28 goals.
Perry recorded 52 points as a freshman, and improved to 58 in 1984–85 as a sophomore. He recorded his 100th career point in his 75th game.
At the time, he became the second fastest in school history to reach the milestone (Troy Murray, 50 games).
Professional Playing Career[]
Opting to leave North Dakota after two seasons, Perry turned professional and joined the Flames late in the 1984–85 NHL season.
He appeared in nine games with Calgary and scored a point in each of his first four contests. His first NHL goal was scored March 20, 1985, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Though an offensive player in junior and college, Perry was converted to a defensive forward in the NHL. He posted 12 goals and 33 points in his first full season, 1985–86. He was credited with one goal during the playoffs following one of the most infamous blunders in NHL history.
In the seventh game of the Smythe Division Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Perry dumped the puck into the Edmonton zone before leaving the ice on a line change. Oilers defenceman Steve Smith recovered the puck behind his net and accidentally passed it off goaltender Grant Fuhr's skate and into his own goal.
As the last Flame to touch the puck, Perry was credited with the goal though he was on the bench when the puck went in. It proved to be the deciding marker in a 3–2 Calgary victory that also clinched the series.
Injuries plagued Perry throughout his tenure with Calgary.
Among his injuries over his five seasons with the Flames, he missed time due to a groin injury, broken leg, food poisoning and a concussion suffered following a hit by Edmonton's Mark Messier in 1988.
After appearing in 55 games in his rookie season, Perry played only 24 and 29 games for two years. He had appeared in 35 games for the Flames in 1988–89.
On March 4, 1989, the Flames traded Perry and Shane Churla to the Minnesota North Stars in exchange for Brian MacLellan and a fourth round pick at the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.
Perry appeared in 16 games with the North Stars to complete the season and finished the year with a combined 51 games played, 5 goals and 13 points.
He played 64 games in 1989–90, recording 15 points, and upped that to 17 points in 52 games in 1990–91. He left Minnesota following the season and signed a contract with the expansion San Jose Sharks.
After recording 19 points in a career-high 66 games in 1991–92, Perry split the following season between the Sharks and their International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate, the Kansas City Blades. He retired in 1993.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 47 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 57 | 37 | 40 | 77 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | North Dakota | NCAA | 44 | 28 | 24 | 52 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | North Dakota | NCAA | 42 | 23 | 35 | 58 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1985–86 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 55 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 39 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1986–87 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 24 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1987–88 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 29 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 66 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | ||
| 1988–89 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 35 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988-89 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 16 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 64 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1990–91 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 52 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1990–91 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 66 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 28 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Kansas City Blades | IHL | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 378 | 61 | 75 | 136 | 277 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 34 | ||||
Personal Life[]
After leaving hockey, Perry returned to the University of North Dakota where he earned a commerce degree and became a financial planner and investment advisor.
He and his wife, Marie, have three children and reside in Calgary.
An active member of the Calgary community, he is associated with the Alberta Pro-Am hockey tournaments that raise money to fight Alzheimer's disease.
He is also a longtime member of the Calgary Flames Alumni Association & supports causes such as the Special Olympics and KidSport Calgary.