page_title: Steve Bégin
section_title: Montreal Canadiens
hierarchical_section_title: Steve Bégin / Playing career / Montreal Canadiens
caption_attribution_description: Steve Begin (C, BOS) -- I'm pretty sure that stick didn't *actually* hit him in the head.
context_page_description: Joseph Denis Stéphan Bégin; born June 14, 1978 is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in 13 National Hockey League seasons. He was a second-round selection of the Calgary Flames, 40th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, and played with the Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators in his NHL career. After missing a full season due to injury, Bégin made a successful comeback by rejoining the Flames in 2012–13 before another injury forced his retirement.
  Bégin played junior hockey with the Val-d'Or Foreurs where he was a member of their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship winning team in 1998. He also led the Saint John Flames to the American Hockey League's Calder Cup championship in 2001 and won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. Bégin adopted a role as a defensive specialist and grinder in an NHL career where he has played over 500 games.
context_section_description: Bégin was promoted by Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff as a hard working, "blue collar" type player that Sabres fans would enjoy watching, but he never played a game with the Sabres. He was exposed to the waiver draft prior to the start of the 2003–04 NHL season and claimed by the Montreal Canadiens. He played an energy role for the Canadiens, and scored 10 goals for Montreal in 52 games.
  After playing through injury in 2003–04, Bégin underwent shoulder surgery that caused him to miss five months of playing time. When he returned to action, an ongoing labour dispute in the NHL led to his being assigned to the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs in February 2005, with whom he was immediately counted upon to play a leadership role. Bégin returned to the Canadiens in 2005–06 and set career highs in goals (11), points (23) and penalty minutes (113). The Montreal media named him the recipient of the Jacques-Beauchamp Molson Trophy, a team award given to a Canadiens' player who played a "dominant role" with the team, without earning any other honours. Plagued by injuries, Bégin missed time due to rib and shoulder injuries. He appeared in only 52 games in 2006–07 and 44 games in 2007–08 and scored 18 points combined over the two seasons.
caption: Bégin as a member of the Boston Bruins.
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