Hamilton Bulldogs defenceman Patrick Traverse has been re-acquired by the National Hockey League team for which he never played for.
The NHL parent Montreal Canadiens on Friday traded Traverse to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenceman Mathieu Biron. Traverse came to the Canadiens – for a second time – last September when Montreal claimed him on waivers from the Sharks. Travers was to report to the Worcester Sharks, San Jose’s American Hockey League affiliate.
Biron was to report to the Bulldogs for Friday night’s game in Rochester against the Americans. Traverse played 24 games with the then-Worcester IceCaps in 1996-7.
Biron, 26, is the AHL’s fourth leading scorer among defenceman, with 18 points (3-15-18) and 42 penalty minutes in 24 games with the Sharks after signing with San Jose as a free agent on Aug. 9, 2006. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound defenceman played 52 games with the Washington Capitals last season, recording 13 points (4-9-13) and 50 penalty minutes.
A native of Lac St-Charles, Que., Biron has played six full seasons in the National Hockey League with the New York Islanders (1999 to 2001), the Tampa Bay Lightning (2001-02), the Florida Panthers (2002-04) and the Washington Capitals (2005-06). In 253 career NHL regular season games, the first-round pick (21 overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft has 44 points (12-32-44) and 177 penalty minutes.
Traverse, 32, has appeared in 26 games with Hamilton this season, recording five points (1-4-5) and 10 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-4, 203-pound defenceman has 65 points (14-51-65) and 113 penalty minutes in 279 career NHL regular season games with the Ottawa Senators (1995 to 2000), the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (2000-01), the Boston Bruins (2000-01), the Montreal Canadiens (2000 to 2003) and the Dallas Stars (2005-06).
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Traverse was in his second stint with the Hamilton Bulldogs after playing 80 games and collecting 26 points (5-21-26) and 31 penalty minutes in the 2003-04 AHL season. In 106 career games as a Bulldog, Traverse accumulated 31 points (6-25-31) and 41 penalty minutes.
