Begin Not To Blame For Game 4 Loss

[Habsfan84]

Canadiens forward Steve Begin was unconsolable after taking the late Game 4 penalty that led to the Flyers winning goal.

He was not available to the media immediatly after the game.

Begin is a player of an emotional nature who will do anything it takes to win. Just minutes prior to his penalty, he took a point shot straight in the gut looking much like a front line soldier gunned down on a battlefield. I have always referred to Begin as the Habs captain without a letter, and he is exactly the type of forward a team needs to have on the ice in crucial moments such the one in Game 4.

While he may not have enjoyed a 20 goal season since prior to playing junior in the QMJHL, he knows what it takes to win. The Calgary Flames made Begin their second choice, 40th overall in the 1996 draft, after a season of 13 goals and 218 penalty minutes with Val d' Or Foreurs. Five seasons later, Begin scored 10 goals in 19 playoff games for the Saint John Flames and was named the MVP for the Calder Cup winners.

With a player a Begin's nature, who hits anything in his path, there is always a risk that his enthusiam will get the better of his common sense.

The penalty he took late in game 4 has been termed "stupid" in several print stories.

It may have been untimely, and regrettable, but I saw it as anything but stupid.

Eyes On The Prize: Begin Not To Blame For Game 4 Loss