The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Claude Lemieux and reassigned forwards Brad Staubitz and Tom Cavanagh to the Worcester Sharks of the American Hockey League.
Lemieux has played in 23 games with Worcester, posting three goals and 11 points, 24 penalty minutes and a +2 rating. He was originally signed by San Jose as a free agent in December.
''The more I was told this was impossible, the more I wanted it,'' Lemieux said after his first practice with the Sharks. ''I still feel that way. This is just the first step to life back in the NHL. I got into this with my eyes wide open, knowing that most folks out there would think that I'm out of my mind to attempt to do something like this.''
Montreal Canadiens' head coach Guy Carbonneau, who was a team mate of Lemieux's in the late 1980's was surprised to see Lemieux back in the NHL.
"You see Chris Chelios, who is 46 now, but when you consider the fact that Claude stopped playing for three or four years, it shows the character he has," Carbonneau told THE CANADIAN PRESS. "I'm happy for him.
"I didn't think at first that it would be possible but now we see that nothing is impossible."
The Sharks also placed defenceman Brad Lukowich on injured reserve, retroactive to Jan. 6.
Staubitz played in 15 games with San Jose this season, posting three points and 42 penalty minutes. In 23 games with Worcester, he has one assist and 58 penalty minutes.
Cavanagh spent 12 games with San Jose, adding one assist and two penalty minutes. In 21 games with Worcester, he posted 18 points and 17 penalty minutes.
