Steve Begin

#0 / Left Wing / Dallas Stars

Height: 6-0

Weight: 192

Born: Jun 14, 1978

This is a pretty good deal for the Dallas Stars. Doug Janik was not seeing any time on the ice and had even been sent down to the AHL just to get some game experience. With Mark Fistric playing so well for lately the Stars could afford to give Janik up.

On the other hand, with Toby Petersen and Brad Richards out the Stars were in dire need of a forward who can play multiple positions. Steve Begin fits that need. He has decent size and can be very physical at times and also has the skill to not only play on the wing but also play center. Begin's versatility will be of the most use to the Stars will most likely try him out to see where he fits best in the Stars' system.

This is a perfect example of the G.M.'s turning someone who wasn't providing much help to the team into a player who can immediately have an impact on the team. Kudos to Les Jackson and Brett Hull; while this was certainly not a blockbuster deal it was a move that filled an immediate need for the team without having to give up much in return, especially a young forward or prospect.

Begin's contract for the year was worth $1.05M, so his cap hit for the Stars for the rest of the season is just under $300,000. He is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

[UPDATE] It seems that Begin was really known for his heart and grit in Montreal. He loves to hit people and is one of the classiest players in the league. He was the AHL playoff MVP a few years ago and brings a ton of heart to a team that is already known for its team atmosphere.

Here is what the SBN Canadiens blog, Habs Eyes On the Prize, had to say about Steve Begin:

Steve Begin, a proudest of Habs warrior for five seasons, asked Canadiens GM Bob Gainey earlier this week that if he did not see him in the team's plans, that he ship him somewhere that he would be wanted.

When Begin was at his best, he could play as though he was the heart and soul of the team. I've often referred to him as the "captain without a C", I liked him that much.

In 266 regular season games, Begin contributed 35 goals and 31 assists. He accumulated 275 minutes in penalties in those games, a lot of which were spent in five minute slices after coming to the defense of team mates.

From the Dallas Stars' press release:

The native of Trois-Riviéres, Quebec, has skated in 389 career NHL games with Calgary and Montreal, posting 46 goals and 38 assists for 84 points with 467 penalty minutes. The 6-foot, 187-pounder has also appeared in 23 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Canadiens, earning four helpers and 20 PIM. His most productive NHL season was in 2005-06 with Montreal, when he registered 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points and won the Jacques Beauchamp Molson Trophy as the Habs’ Unsung Hero.