Of all the transactions that have been made this Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season — and there have plenty, with the Blind River Beavers alone having been involved in 23 trades totalling 27 players and tens of thousands of dollars in cash — the biggest moves have involved Marc-Alain Begin.

Begin, if you recall, began the season with the Abitibi Eskimos by producing 58 points in 22 games before moving up to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

With Begin the lineup to begin the season, Abitibi posted a 20-0-2 record.

Without Begin over the next 10 games, Abitibi returned to earth and had a record of 4-6.

But despite producing seven points in 13 games in the “Q”, Begin returned to Abitibi last week and scored twice and added six assists as the Eskimos bested the North Bay Trappers 9-1 before slipping past the Sudbury Jr. Wolves 4-1.

With Begin in the lineup, the Eskimos have a 22-0-2 record. Without Begin, the Eskimos are 4-6.

All totalled, Begin has 29 goals, 37 assists and 66 points in 24 games with Abitibi for an average of 2.75 points per game.

There may be no such thing as a one-man team. But Begin certainly makes one team a whole lot better.

INSIDE THE NOJHL

…North Bay acquired the rights to a “wrecking crew” type of player when it obtained 20-year old Anthony Perdicaro at the deadline.

Perdicaro, a 6-foot-1, 200 lb. centre/left wing who plays with a nasty edge, has been on quite the tour since he suited up with the erstwhile Northern Michigan Black Bears of the NOJHL during the ‘05-06 season.

In all, Perdicaro has played for seven teams in five different junior leagues — the NOJHL, the Ontario Hockey League, the United States Hockey League, the Quebec Major Jr. Hockey League and the British Columbia Jr. Hockey League.

Suffice to say that Perdicaro carries some baggage, both literally and figuratively.

I know Perdicaro well from his time spent in Sault Ste. Marie, both with the old Black Bears and the OHL Soo Greyhounds. I have always liked Perdicaro, both as a player and as a person.

He’s fearless, physical and hates to lose as much as he loves to win.

…As noted above, it’s been 23 trades involving 27 players since Jim Capy took over as coach/general manager in Blind River last summer.

Capy has made trades with teams in the NOJHL, the Central Jr. Hockey League, the North American Hockey League, the Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the Eastern Jr. Hockey League and the Superior International Jr. Hockey League since beginning his shopping spree.

The trades are what has helped make Blind River the hottest team in the NOJHL with 10 straight wins.

To be sure, Capy has brought in a number of high-end players to Blind River via the trade market including slippery centre Matt Dozois, fibrous left winger Chad Richard, goal-scoring machine Brandon Ominika and dependable defenceman Duncan Green.

And so far, all of the moves don’t seem to have disrupted team chemistry.

So far.