Andrei Mezin Explained

Andrei Mezin
Birth Date:8 July 1974
Birth Place:Chelyabinsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lb:173
Position:Goaltender
Catches:Left
League:KHL
Team:Traktor Chelyabinsk
Ntl Team:Belarus
Career Start:1993
Career End:2014

Andrei Anatolyevich Miezin (Belarusian: Андрэй Анатольевiч Мезiн, Russian: Андрей Анатольевич Мезин; born 8 July 1974) is a Belarusian ice hockey coach and a retired goaltender.

Playing career

Mezin left his native Belarus in 1993 to head to North America and would spend five seasons playing in different leagues, including the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League and the United Hockey League. From 1998 to 2002, he played in Germany: one year with the Nürnberg Ice Tigers and three with the Berlin Capitals. He then played in Russia and the Czech Republic. Starting 2008, he spent time with KHL teams HC Dinamo Minsk, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Traktor Chelyabinsk and Avangard Omsk.

Mezin gained international attention in 2002 as a member of the Belarus national men's ice hockey team at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Despite not winning a game in the Group D round robin, Belarus beat the Sweden national men's ice hockey team in the quarterfinals. Mezin was stellar, holding a star-laden Swedish team to three goals on more than 50 shots. The game was won by Belarus late in the third on a long shot gaffe made by Tommy Salo in the Swedish net. Belarus ended up finishing in fourth place after losing to Canada in the semifinals. Mezin has represented the Belarus national team at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 Olympic Games and played several World Championships.

On 1 October 2008 Mezin and Metallurg Magnitogorsk faced the New York Rangers of the NHL in the inaugural Victoria Cup. Mezin stopped 40 out of 44 shots, playing a very respectable game in the 4–3 loss.[1]

Mezin retired in 2014.

Coaching career

He has been serving as goaltender coach of HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) since 2016.

Off the ice

In the offseason, Mezin lives in Kyiv, Ukraine.[2]

Career statistics

  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPWLTMINGASOGAASV%PtsPIMGPWLMINGASOGAASV%PtsPIM
1993–94Roanoke ExpressECHL101018103.280.66702--------------------
1995–96Flint GeneralsCoHL402792227013213.490.883127514101812.640.90300
1995–96Fort Wayne KometsIHL1???35101.720.95800--------------------
1996–97Flint GeneralsCoHL25194114165822.460.902084021751304.46?00
1996–97Las Vegas ThunderIHL104504903304.040.88300--------------------
1996–97Rochester AmericansAHL73313863104.820.84310--------------------
1997–98Flint GeneralsUHL27215014888613.470.885248???????12
1997–98Detroit VipersIHL4210178802.690.85210--------------------
1998–99Nürnberg Ice TigersDEL49???285612452.600.90023213??7653102.430.908027
1999–00Berlin CapitalsDEL53???297913842.780.8962727??4222303.270.90810
2000–01Berlin CapitalsDEL56???322014832.760.9074265??3001703.400.890012
2001–02Berlin CapitalsDEL54???314716643.160.893358--------------------
2001–02Berlin CapitalsDEL - Abstiegsrunde6??????3.170.89400??????????
2002–03Ak Bars KazanRSL10001000.00000--------------------
2003–04HC České BudějoviceCzEx154928054012.980.904012--------------------
2003–04HC České Budějovice1.liga (CZE)----------------------404250902.160.90002
2004–05SKA Saint PetersburgRSL4214205232810022.580.91006--------------------
2005–06Salavat Yulaev UfaRSL371613621186821.930.9252106333541602.710.90200
2006–07Salavat Yulaev UfaRSL19??????1.710.933043?????1.830.92300
2007–08Metallurg MagnitogorskRSL35??????1.840.932163?????2.670.89200
2008–09Metallurg MagnitogorskKHL26??????2.820.896006?????2.270.92200
Russian Superleague totals135----------------22612----------2.40--00
Deutsche Eishockey Liga totals217------------2.800.8991118825----------3.030.902139
International Hockey League totals15------7034222.820.89810--------------------
Colonial Hockey League totals6546133368619032.980.9311012--------------00

Awards and honours

Notes and References

  1. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=384373 Rangers rally to win Victoria Cup
  2. Web site: Esche replace Mezin in Minsk Dynamo. 20 April 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100423195407/http://www.sokol.kiev.ua/page-id-3900.html. 23 April 2010 . live.