Steve Bégin | |||
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Born |
Trois-Rivières, QC, CAN |
June 14, 1978 ||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
Position | Centre | ||
Shot | Left | ||
Played for |
Calgary Flames Montreal Canadiens Dallas Stars Boston Bruins Nashville Predators |
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NHL Draft | 40th overall, 1996 Calgary Flames |
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Playing career | 1997–2013 |
Joseph Denis Stéphan Bégin (French pronunciation: [stefɑ̃ beʒɛ̃]); born June 14, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in 13 National Hockey League (NHL) 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 in Quebec with the Val-d'Or Foreurs where he was a member of their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) championship winning team in 1998. He also led the Saint John Flames to the American Hockey League (AHL)'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.
A native of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Bégin grew up in a single parent household, raised by his father Gilles on a welfare income. Gilles worked as a landscaper, while Steve often helped his father at work until he was 18 years old.