PRO HOCKEY - EX-CANADIEN WAS A PEST TO BRUINS

As far as Steve Begin is concerned, what goes around has already come back around. If that's not the case, the newest Boston Bruin will be a pretty lonely guy. Begin, a 31-year-old center signed Wednesday for one year at $850,000, may not be as loathed as other highly-detested Montreal Canadiens, but he's on the list for a cross-check to Bruins' center Marc Savard's back late in 2007-2008 that nearly cost Savard his first shot at the playoffs. Retribution came last pre-season, at the hands of Boston's Shawn Thornton. "It's going to be fun, to have (Savard and Thornton) on my side now, and me on their side," Begin said during a conference call early Wednesday evening. Actually, Begin's going to be at center as the planned replacement for Stephane Yelle, an unrestricted free agent Boston has elected not to re-sign. Both are relatively light-scoring defense/penalty-killing sorts of centers, but what sets Begin apart is - well, the somewhat more on-the-edge play that resulted in Savard getting hurt just before the 2008 playoffs. "He's a versatile player, he's a useful player, and he's a gritty player," said general manager Peter Chiarelli, who got a relatively inexpensive veteran player to help fill out Boston's roster without swallowing too much of his remaining salary cap space. "He's a real physical guy. He's not huge, but he's big enough (6-2, 192), and he makes up for it the way he plays." Begin, whom Montreal traded to Dallas for Doug Janik late last season, makes no apologies for the way he plays. It has kept him in the NHL on a more or less full-time basis since 2001-02 (first with the Calgary Flames, who selected him in the second round of the 1996 draft), and he's sure it will complement Boston's style. "I think I fit well with this team," said Begin, who teamed with Tom Kostopoulos and Bryan Smolinski to wear the Bruins out in the '08 post-season. "If you look at (the Bruins ), their game is physical, very intense. "Two years ago in the playoffs (the first-round series Montreal hung on to win, 4-3), what made us successful was that we were working hard. We were putting the puck deep, skating hard, finishing our checks. Same thing with Boston. That's the style I like to play." That's a point in Begin's favor, because Chiarelli is always on the lookout for tough but capable players who'll let Boston's skilled personnel perform at a comfortable level. Begin's other advantage is that he played for Bruins coach Claude Julien in Montreal, producing the two highest goal totals of his career (10 in 2003-04; 11 in '05-06) under him. "He knows how to play you, how to use you," said Begin, who cited current Bruin Michael Ryder's '08-09 performance under Julien. "A year ago in Montreal, people thought (Ryder) was done, (then) he had his best season." Actually, Ryder (27 goals) missed the 30-goal plateau he hit twice in Montreal, but that probably doesn't change Begin's opinion that he'll be a success in Boston. "I like to bring energy," he said. "I like to finish my check. Of course, I like to chip in (offensively) once in a while, but it's a bonus when I do. I'm a team guy. I play for the crest on the front." Chiarelli and Begin are sure that others who already wear the spoked 'B' will let the past stay in the past, and let Begin help them in the future. "It might take them a little bit of time to get over it," the GM said, "but once they're off the ice, they gel pretty quickly. I don't anticipate any problems." "It's Hockey," Begin said. "One day you play for one team, another day you play for the other team. It's part of the game. "It's true, all those years I played against Boston, a lot of things happened, but it's my turn. I'm going to be on the right side now." Reach Mike Loftus at mloftus@ledger.com. Read more of his Bruins draft coverage on Blog of Ice at PatriotLedger.com/sports