SAN JOSE, Calif., March 12 -- Jeff Norton is back for his third tour of duty with the San Jose Sharks after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
The Sharks sent defenseman Bobby Dollas and goaltender Johan Hedberg to the Penguins for the 35-year-old Norton-a former team captain who is third all-time among San Jose defensemen with 92 points.
A 14-year veteran, Norton could help a floundering power play, which is without a reliable point man. The Sharks are 2-for-25 with the man advantage over the last four games and 24th overall in the NHL.
He also could inject some life into a team that has gone winless in its last seven games (0-5-1-1) to drop three points behind Dallas in the race for first place in the Pacific Division.
Norton played in only 32 games for the Penguins this season, recording two goals and 10 assists after signing as a free agent on November 14. Last season, he had 20 assists in 62 games for the Sharks. In 378 NHL games for San Jose, Florida, Tampa Bay, Edmonton, St. Louis and the New York Islanders, he has 52 goals and 326 assists.
Norton played for the Sharks from 1993-95 and again from 1998-2000. He joins defenseman Jarrod Skalde as the only players to have three stints with the Sharks.
Like Norton, Dollas was used sparingly this season, recording one goal and one assist in 16 games for Pittsburgh. The 36-year-old also played eight games for Manitoba of the International Hockey League. Dollas has played 641 NHL games for nine teams, including the Penguins in 1998-99. He has 42 goals and 96 assists, also playing for Winnipeg, Quebec, Detroit, Anaheim, Edmonton, Ottawa and Calgary.
Hedberg, 27, is the key to the deal for Pittsburgh, which is fifth in the Eastern Conference with shaky goaltending. The Swede went 23-13-7 with a 2.56 goals-against average in 46 games for the Moose this season and was an IHL All-Star.
