Armstrong is a welcome sight
The situation surrounding Derek Armstrong's locker stall last week at the Kings headquarters served 2 purposes. 1rst, it was conformation of how popular the Kings' center is to the fans, his teammates & how important he is to the team. 2 nd, it was a clear signal that Armstrong's injured groin was completely healthy & that he was finally ready to join the Kings team again. Armstrong, who missed 4 games, was activated from the injured list this week & will be in uniform tonight when the Kings start a 4 game road trip at Detroit. To make room for him, the Kings assigned left wing Ken Belanger to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League. Judging from his teammates' reaction - Armstrong's return was welcomed enthusiastically.
Armstrong never expected to miss as much time as he did, but his groin took its time healing & the veteran center just had to wait it out. But after 4 straight rigorous workouts on the ice, including Tuesday morning's practice, Armstrong announced that he is fit enough to rejoin the team. Defenseman Mike Weaver, who has also missed 3 games with an injured foot, did not leave with the team for Detroit Last week, but he hopes to catch-up with them somewhere along the trip. On a positive note, Weaver doesn't think his injury is serious enough anymore to warrant a potential stay on the injured list. The Kings organization have had their ups & down on the road this year, last week they came up big in Dallas, but followed it with a thud the very next night in Phoenix & as they embark on their longest trip of the NHL season thus far, the focus is on developing consistency away from home.
