Colby Armstrong got back into the lineup Saturday night for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he turned out to add a lot more than anyone (maybe even his own teammates) would have expected.
As the Leafs struggled (to put it nicely) offensively and continued to pile up the loses in his absence, Ron Wilson decided to put Armstrong on the first line with Phil Kessel and Kris Versteeg to add some punch and tenacity.
It was a questionable decision, as Armstrong is not the most offensively gifted player and is better suited for a second- or third-line grinding position. But right off the bat against the Boston Bruins on Saturday Armstrong not only made an impact, he set the tone for the entire game.
As the Leafs buzzed around the Bruins net just minutes into the game, and after goalie Tim Thomas smothered the puck, Armstrong roared onto the scene and thundered Zdeno Chara over his netminder and into the net.
Message sent: With Armstrong back, win or lose, you're going to have to fight for every inch when he's on the ice.
And it was a message that his teammates took to heart, as the Leafs muscled up and p ...
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Article written by Jon Neely
Toronto Maple Leafs Unlikely Hero: Colby Armstrong’s Return Has Major Impact
December 5th, 2010 by Jon Neely Leave a reply »
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