Bruins begin free agency by signing Begin

Yesterday, general manager Peter Chiarelli went back to the same well, albeit for a different kind of player.

Steve Begin, punted out of Montreal in February, became the latest former Canadien to cross enemy lines and join the other side of the rivalry. The gritty 31-year-old forward agreed to a one-year, $850,000 contract to bring his surly services to Boston and his former coach.

“He listens to the players and he knows how to play you and how to use you,’’ Begin said of Claude Julien, his ex-boss in Montreal. “Look at Ryder. A year ago in Montreal, people thought he was done. Now he’s playing for Claude and he had his best season last year. That’s what it’s like with Claude. He gave me a lot of ice time. He played me a lot. The most important thing is he listens to the players and gets the best out of you.’’

The 6-foot, 192-pound Begin (pronounced bay-ZHIN) is known well by the Bruins, made black-and-blue over parts of the last four seasons by his willingness to thump bodies, finish checks, and even go beyond the limits of legal play. At the Bell Centre March 22, 2008, while killing a penalty, Begin squared up Marc Savard, his former teammate in Calgary, and checked him in the back. Savard suffered a broken bone and missed the rest of the regular season.

Then in the playoffs, Begin teamed with fellow bruisers Bryan Smolinski and Tom Kostopoulos to form one of Montreal’s most effective lines. Begin, who had no reservations about going after bigger players such as Zdeno Chara, continued his wrecking-ball act in the postseason and helped the Canadiens beat the Bruins in seven games.

“I bring energy and finish checks,’’ Begin said. “I like to chip in once in a while. It’s a bonus when I do. Mostly, I bring a lot of energy. I’m a team guy. I play for the team. Two years ago in the playoffs, what made us successful was that we were working hard. We were putting the puck deep, skating hard, finishing our checks. It’s the same thing with Boston. You saw [Shawn] Thornton and all those guys playing good against us. It’s the kind of game that I like to play.’’

On Sept. 22, 2008, during a Boston-Montreal preseason game, Begin had to answer for his back-cracking of Savard. Thornton grabbed Begin and laid a one-sided beating on the forward.

“It’s hockey,’’ said Begin. “One day you play for one team, another day you play for another team. It’s part of the game. In all those years I played against Boston in the playoffs, a lot of things happened. I’m going to be on the right side now.’’

Last season, Begin only participated in two Boston-Montreal matches. Begin fell out of favor with then-coach Guy Carbonneau and was traded to Dallas for defenseman Doug Janik on Feb. 26. Over 62 games between the two clubs, Begin scored seven goals and five assists while recording 42 penalty minutes. Begin’s best season came in 2005-06, when the native of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, scored 11 goals and 12 assists while racking up 113 PIMs in 76 games. That year, Julien was Begin’s coach for 41 games before he was fired by GM Bob Gainey.

Begin will fill the role of unrestricted free agent Stephane Yelle, who will not be re-signed. Begin is projected to skate on the fourth line and kill penalties while bringing a physical presence.

“He’s a versatile player, a useful player, a gritty player,’’ Chiarelli said. “He’s a guy that can slide a little bit up the lineup. He can kill penalties. He’ll wear the emblem on his sleeve. There are a lot of good things about him.’’

The Bruins also took care of two of their own players, re-signing restricted free agent Byron Bitz to a multiyear extension and UFA defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a one-year deal.

Bitz, Boston’s fourth-round pick in 2003, emerged as an NHLer in 2008-09. Bitz started the season in Providence, but made his NHL debut against Carolina Jan. 10 and registered an assist. Bitz cemented a role for himself on the fourth line and never returned to the minors. In 35 games, Bitz scored four goals and had three assists. Bitz also appeared in five playoff games. Bitz scored the opening goal in Game 7 against the Hurricanes. He was supposed to suit up for Providence after the Bruins lost the second-round series to Carolina, but was held out because of a rib injury.

The 24-year-old was one of the organization’s most pleasant surprises last season. Bitz could be a wing on the fourth line in 2009-10, but he skated with Ryder and David Krejci in Game 7 against Carolina and didn’t look out of place.

“As far as physical training goes, I’ll stick with what I did last summer - a lot of speed and agility stuff and footwork,’’ Bitz said. “As well, maybe add some muscle. Going into next year, I want to build up some momentum and some confidence from the second half of the year, carry that forward, and keep building into that.’’

Boychuk was named the American Hockey League’s best defenseman last year after scoring 20 goals and 45 assists in 78 games. Boychuk appeared in one NHL game last season when he skated in a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay Dec. 4, 2008. He projects to be a sixth or seventh defenseman if he makes the big club in 2009-10.

The Bruins lost Steve Montador yesterday when the defenseman signed a two-year, $3.1 million contract with Buffalo. According to Chiarelli, P.J. Axelsson will explore the market but keep the Bruins under consideration.

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com.