With 57 days left until the regular season starts up again, let’s take a look at a former Calgary Flames player with that number.
Since the start of August, we’re counting down the number of days left until the regular season starts up again! Everyday until the start of the season, we’ll be talking about a Calgary Flames player whose number correlates with how many days there are left.
Yesterday was our first player that isn’t an active player anymore. The rest are still active (and quite young, too). Yesterday we talked about Steve Montador. Unfortunately, Montador passed away too soon, but let’s keep up the retired players trend.
With 57 days left until the regular season starts up again, let’s talk about #57 Steve Begin.
Related Story: 58 Days Until the Season Starts: #58 Steve Montador
Who is Steve Begin?
Name: Joseph Denis Stephan Begin
Birth place: Trois-Rivieres, QC, Canada
Position: C
Shoots: Left
Birthdate: 1978-06-14
Height: 6’11” / 180 cm
Weight: 88 kg / 195 lbs
Drafted by: Calgary Flames, 40th overall 1996
Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:
As we can see, Steve had somewhat of a rollercoaster ride of an NHL career.
Growing up in Quebec, raised by a single father on welfare income, and needing to use second-hand equipment, it was definitely exciting for his entire family when he was drafted by the Calgary Flames. But, since he was a child, he always told his dad that he was going to play in the NHL some day.
Begin had his NHL debut in October of 1997, but after going pointless for five games, he was sent back down to his junior team in the QMJHL. Which ended up being a good thing because they were the QMJHL champions that season and won the Presidents Cup. Begin stayed with the Flames AHL affiliate for the 1998-99 season and went back and forth between them and the NHL for the next few seasons.
Calgary Flames
In 2003, Begin was part of a three-team trade that eventually put him in Montreal – closer to home. But as we can see with the stats above, he’s never had an extremely successful season. And from a hard-hitting style of play, it led to a hip injury.
Be he came back from that injury and came back to where it all began – in Calgary one last time. Something that left Begin excited.
Via Calgary Sun:
"It’s a thrill for me to be back here, I get a chance and I have to take it. I know what I have to do, I feel good, feel in shape. It’s been a long ride for me, but I’m excited."
Because of his perseverance with the game of hockey, he was nominated by the Calgary Flames for the Bill Masterton Trophy. From the Calgary Herald, “According to Steve Begin, he awoke after hip surgery and immediately looked at his wife, Amelie. He then declared that he would one day again skate in the National Hockey League.”
"Watch me. I’ll play again."
And he did. Back with the team he started his NHL career with. Begin credited former Flames coach Bob Hartley for ultimately giving him another chance again.
Via Calgary Herald:
"It turned out pretty well. Hartley said, ‘You’re in pretty good shape for this time of the year.’ He invited me to camp. If I’m here, yes, (it’s because) I worked hard . . . but he gave me the chance, the guys in Calgary gave me the chance.That’s how it was. (Otherwise) I wouldn’t be here talking to you."
He spent the next season with the Flames AHL team but his doctor said he’d miss the whole season due to more injuries. So he finally decided to hang ’em up in 2014.
Next: The Flames are Ready to Contend in the West
It’s not everyday you see such dedication to the sport. So when you do, you need to write about it when there’s 57 days left until the season starts.