Mezin biography

Last season, this team did not even get into the KHL playoffs, but in the current championship it leads in the Eastern Conference. Surely there is a merit of summer Mezin in this. Many Belarusians have long been considered a native of Chelyabinsk. We recall the biography of the legendary goalkeeper, who was involved in all the significant achievements of Belarusian hockey, but said Andrei Mezin after August in the center behind hockey players.

Andrey works with goalkeepers. Mezin began a coaching career in the year. Mezin also oversaw the training of goalkeepers in the national teams of Belarus of all ages, worked as a coach of the goalkeepers and the assistant to the head coach in the national team. Moreover, Andrei signed a contract with the hockey federation in the spring of the year-on the eve of the World Cup, when our national team last got into the playoffs.

He lit up in the famous “repented” video in August. Belarusian hockey players could not break into the Olympics, losing to the Poles and Slovaks in qualifications. But with stone faces, they congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on his birthday. Mezin-game Andrei was born in the year in Chelyabinsk. In his native “tractor” there were no prospects in it, and at the age of 17 the athlete moved to Belarus.

Here his first club was the Novopolotsky Chemist. I received something about $ 20. We were only fed, beat and trained. And no one cried that there were no comfortable conditions, ”Mezin recalled in the year. Since the years, he performed in the minor North American leagues. But he was not torn off the NHL clubs. In AHL, the second in rank of the overseas league spent seven matches for Rochester, but statistics left much to be desired.

True, in the year, Mezin said that after the World Cup in Riga, when our team took sixth place, head coach Glen Hanlon, who was headed by Washington Capitals, called him to the NHL: “Hanlon said that he wanted to take me with him in the NHL, I replied that I would not go anywhere for another year. The next year, he suggested again, said specifically that I would be the second number.

Guaranteed me 20 games in the season. Then I refused. I always sought to be the best. And my task [in the NHL] was to give a respite to the main goalkeeper, and I would not progress. It didn't suit me. But it was a real chance to play in the strongest League of the world. In the year, Andrei moved to Germany. Here he lingered for four years, playing for Nuremberg and Berlin.

Then there was a season in the Kazan “Ak Barce” spent on a bench and a year in the Czech Republic - in the team “Check Budevitsa”. On this, the European stage of Andrei's career ended. Andrei Mezin in the form of the Omsk "Vanguard". Photo: The Press Service of the club Mezin-collector Mezin was recognized four times the best hockey player of Belarus. He probably remembered the performance for the national team than his club career.

On his account 15 of the world championships are 13 - in the strongest division and three Olympiads. In short, recall the main milestones. Firstly, Mezin was one of the main creators of the sensational victory over the Swedes at the Olympic Games, secondly, Mezin was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the World Cup in five matches of the tournament, Andrei missed nine goals. He took part in victorious meetings with the Slovaks, on shootouts, the Hungarians, Norwegians, in overtime, Finns, in bullets and in defeat in the playoffs from Russians, our team then took eighth place.

Mezin reflected on average for the game 94.77 percent of the throws - the second indicator of the championship. Then I was recognized as the best goalkeeper. The team played perfectly, went to the quarterfinals. But the impression of the tournament was overshadowed by the last match. We had every chance to beat Russians and go to the four of the strongest.

You can’t imagine how I was worried! Thirdly, Mezin fell into the symbolic team of the media version at the World Cup then Belarusians became sixth-the best position of the national team at planetary championships. An excellent goalkeeper, whom I remembered very well from performances at the world championships. You can be proud of such a compatriot, ”the Swedish goalkeeper Junas Enrok, who played for the Dynamo Minsk, praised in the year.

Andrei Mezin in a match against Switzerland at the Olympic Games of the year in Vancouver. Photo: Reuters But Andrey got criticism.

Few people will remember what Oleg Kachan did as the head of the Ministry of Sports, but his “recommendations” to hockey players after the World Cup still on the hearing of Belarusians then took the place. Defenders should go out with broken arms and feet on the ice, do not let the puck be scored into their own goal. What is the psychological situation in the team?

You saw how the team played - everyone laughed with me. At least they made a normal fight, professional - for their country. Hire the boxer, ”said Kachan. Officials in Belarus love to distribute advice to athletes. They made a selection of the most striking statements a year after the “Testaments” of the official Mezin left the national team right in the course of the World Cup - he had a conflict with the Finnish coach Kari Hakekil.

But even years later, Andrei did not shed light on the details of that incident. It is interesting that a similar story took place in the year when Mezin already left the headquarters of the national team as a coach.The head coach Dave Lewis was fired right during the tournament, and Andrei decided not to stay in the team as a sign of solidarity. By the way, the ex-breeder then was responsible for the game for the most part.

Mezin-Holphist and Mezin-Muzh, having completed a hockey career in the year, Mezin did not say goodbye to sports. He entered the national team of Belarus ... according to golf. We had team events, we all played together, I had no idea what kind of game it was, ”said Andrei. According to the athlete, he dragged on: - When the field was opened in Minsk several years ago, he thought: why not?

When there is free time, it is better to come to the field or to the club and play. Active rest, better than sitting on the couch. Here I began to relate to golf more seriously than in America. Although seriously to his results, as Andrei said, he did not belong. I also made long pauses in training. His ex -wife Angelica, who left one goalkeeper to another, once, once Andrei’s partner in the national team, Vitaly Koval, focused on the hobby of Golf Mesin.

We had a daughter, we lost the second child in a long period. The tragedy experienced together. When I became pregnant and gave birth to our Andryusha, we were happy. At 4 months, he had a serious operation, and I went headlong into the children. Andrei at the same time tried to find himself. But instead of devoting more time to the family, he was engaged in golf, talked with friends, ”said Angelica.

Andrey Mezin is extreme on the right. Photo: Carya Golf Club according to her, everyone began to live their own life. In M, Angelica stated that she tried to keep her family until the last, but "Andrei himself was to blame for exactly everything that happened." For Mezin, by the way, it was a second marriage. His first spouse said that the ex-Voer insisted that she and their two daughters have passed the DNA test to confirm the fact of Andrei's paternity.

After Angelica left, Mezin stopped communicating with Kovale, although they were friends before. In the end, both get married and get bred. Well, this is the situation. And life will put all the accents. I’m joking that, apparently, this is my fate: to live with a woman until a certain point, and then transfer her to good hands, ”said Mezin. Mezin-citizen, the ex-West did not indicate his position after August, but that the legend of our hockey does not support the change, one can judge, in particular, by the fact that in September, Andrei complimentary spoke about the appointment of Dmitry Baskov, who was suspected of involvement in the murder of Roman Bondarenko, a member of the Council of the Republic.

The internal championship was decent, Dynamo in the KHL is quoted in a completely different status, young hockey players put records on drafts - there are a lot of advantages. This, as a hockey man, is not very surprising, because the ex-head of the Federation Dmitry Baskov has already traveled a serious way from a simple children's coach to the chairman of the FCH, he is aware of what problems young hockey players face, and which the players of the national team, ”said Mezin.

Although, for example, in the year he criticized the internal championship. Artificial conditions have been created.