http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/14/armstrong-healthy-cant-wait-for-camp
?I hate camp, but I can?t wait to get back and hang around with the fellas and get started again,? Armstrong said on Thursday. ?I can say that last season didn?t exactly go the way I wanted it to go.?
That?s an understatement. The Leafs missed the playoffs again, and the absences of Armstrong, who signed a three-year, $9-million US deal with Toronto last summer, didn?t help. A couple of broken feet, a couple of hand injuries and a bleeding eye kept Armstrong in the infirmary a lot more than he would have liked.
All told, Armstrong was on the sideline for 32 games. In the 50 he played, he had eight goals and 15 assists. When he was forced to the sideline, the Leafs missed his grit, tenacity and his ability to drive opponents up a wall.
....
Armstrong likes the off-season moves that general manager Brian Burke has made. Centre Tim Connolly, signed the day after free agency opened, has the job as the team?s No. 1 centre to lose, while defencemen John-Michael Liles and Cody Franson will bring different elements to the blue line. Centre Matthew Lombardi, if he can get past concussion problems, should contribute.
There are no airs with Armstrong. His effusive personality came through clear during a telephone interview.
?I?m pumped,? Armstrong said. ?But I?m not going to lie. On that first day (July 1), I was thinking, ?Where?s our Leafs?? when nothing happened. I?m a huge Connolly fan after playing so many years against him. Liles is a heck of a player, and the same with Franson. Lombardi is a speedster who would be great up the middle for us and can make things happen.
?Getting (James) Reimer signed was another key move, and I was happy when (Tyler) Bozak and (Clarke) MacArthur re-signed. They?re all quality guys.?
....
?I have to believe that whatever doesn?t kill you makes you stronger,? Armstrong said, referring to his rash of injuries.
?I don?t know what I could have done to stop any of my injuries from happening. I feel fine now, though, and I?m just looking forward to getting back and getting going again.?
The Leafs seemed to be a different team with Colby in the lineup. Glad he's on the roster and healthy. I'm with him: the season can't come too soon.
?I hate camp, but I can?t wait to get back and hang around with the fellas and get started again,? Armstrong said on Thursday. ?I can say that last season didn?t exactly go the way I wanted it to go.?
That?s an understatement. The Leafs missed the playoffs again, and the absences of Armstrong, who signed a three-year, $9-million US deal with Toronto last summer, didn?t help. A couple of broken feet, a couple of hand injuries and a bleeding eye kept Armstrong in the infirmary a lot more than he would have liked.
All told, Armstrong was on the sideline for 32 games. In the 50 he played, he had eight goals and 15 assists. When he was forced to the sideline, the Leafs missed his grit, tenacity and his ability to drive opponents up a wall.
....
Armstrong likes the off-season moves that general manager Brian Burke has made. Centre Tim Connolly, signed the day after free agency opened, has the job as the team?s No. 1 centre to lose, while defencemen John-Michael Liles and Cody Franson will bring different elements to the blue line. Centre Matthew Lombardi, if he can get past concussion problems, should contribute.
There are no airs with Armstrong. His effusive personality came through clear during a telephone interview.
?I?m pumped,? Armstrong said. ?But I?m not going to lie. On that first day (July 1), I was thinking, ?Where?s our Leafs?? when nothing happened. I?m a huge Connolly fan after playing so many years against him. Liles is a heck of a player, and the same with Franson. Lombardi is a speedster who would be great up the middle for us and can make things happen.
?Getting (James) Reimer signed was another key move, and I was happy when (Tyler) Bozak and (Clarke) MacArthur re-signed. They?re all quality guys.?
....
?I have to believe that whatever doesn?t kill you makes you stronger,? Armstrong said, referring to his rash of injuries.
?I don?t know what I could have done to stop any of my injuries from happening. I feel fine now, though, and I?m just looking forward to getting back and getting going again.?
The Leafs seemed to be a different team with Colby in the lineup. Glad he's on the roster and healthy. I'm with him: the season can't come too soon.