Former Montreal Canadiens forward Steve Bégin is set to declare bankruptcy.
The 46-year-old ex-hockey player confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Thursday, explaining that he made a large investment in an unnamed civil engineering company.
“The civil engineering company in which I had been proposed to invest large sums of money since 2013 has gone bankrupt, which has had a negative impact on my financial situation and consequently also caused a bankruptcy,” he wrote in French. “I could have tried to avoid the subject, but opted to talk openly about it, as I believe there are lessons to be learned.”
Bégin’s financial struggles are a far cry from his lengthy hockey career, which saw him play a grinder role for the Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, and Boston Bruins. Despite this setback, he said he’s determined to bounce back and move forward.
“I find this experience very trying, disappointing, and above all hurtful for me and those close to me, but as always, I’ll keep pushing forward to achieve great projects despite this ordeal,” he added.
Drafted 40th overall by Calgary in 1996, Bégin’s longest tenure with a single team was with the Canadiens from 2003 to 2009. The Trois-Rivières, Quebec, native’s most productive campaign (2005-06) saw him net 11 goals and 23 points over 76 games.
He earned approximately $6.7 million in career earnings over 14 NHL seasons before retiring from hockey in 2014.