Stars Notebook: Begin arrives
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page
It was quite a day for new Stars forward Steve Begin. His day started in Montreal, had a stop in Philadelphia and then ended in Dallas.
Begin, acquired Thursday from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Doug Janik, arrived at American Airlines Center during the third period of the Stars game with the St. Louis Blues.
"I practiced with Montreal this morning, we flew to Philadelphia and on my way off the plane the coach tapped me on the shoulder and told me I just traded here to Dallas," Begin told FS Southwest.
Begin has been a healthy scratch in Montreal recently and was expecting a trade, but said when it happened it still came as a bit of a shock.
"I haven't played in two weeks, so it was tough in Montreal," he said. "I was expecting it. I was waiting for it. But when it happened it was shock. It was a good day. ... I am excited to be here."
As for what he expects to bring to the Stars, Begin said he is an energy type of player.
"I bring energy. I play hard. I finish my checks," he said. "I won't quit. I like to win. That's why I am excited to be here because they are a great bunch of guys."
Stars center Mike Ribeiro, who played with Begin in Montreal, had high praise for his former teammate who is now his new teammate.
"We sat next to each other there and he has one of the best work ethics you'll see," Ribeiro said. "You know he is on the ice and he'll bring a lot of energy."
In his postgame comments, Stars coach Dave Tippett also talked about Begin.
"He's a good, experienced player. He plays hard. He'll give us quality minutes," Tippett said. "He's a good penalty killer. He pays the price to win games. Sometimes that doesn't show on the scoresheet, but it show on the grit level of the game and how you win."
Quotable
"I'm excited. I can't wait to skate with the guys tomorrow. It's been a long day, it's always a shock when you are traded but I can't wait to get started here. I haven't had a chance to talk to the coaches but that will come tomorrow. I play a simple game, up and down, and I try and bring a lot of energy. I am a defensive player, I enjoy working on the PK. I was in a similar situation in Montreal. It's been crazy there the last few weeks. I was there for six years and it was a great experience playing there, but I have a new group and a new city now. I can't wait to play against Montreal next week."
Stars forward Steve Begin
