Cougars Countdown to Camp with Kevin Armstrong

You often hear in professional sports about a “championship hangover.” Who wants to hit the gym after winning a major championship? You would think for most players the first thought would be to celebrate. After all, it’s not everyday that you win Junior Hockey’s Holy Grail, the Memorial Cup. Sit back, and enjoy it, right? Not if you are Kevin Armstrong.

“I think I actually took a weekend off when we got back from Kitchener, and then I was right back at it. I really wanted to make sure I did all things I usually do and not let it change things.”

Armstrong was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on July 2nd, only 5 or so weeks removed from the Memorial Cup in Kitchener, Ontario. “It was such a great experience” said Armstrong. “I really enjoyed every minute of it. You never know, it could be a once in a lifetime experience and I took every bit of it in.”

Admittedly, Armstrong isn’t overly familiar with Prince George. “I’ve only been up to Prince George a few times in my career but from everything I’ve heard it’s great and I can’t wait to get up there and meet my new teammates, I don’t know a lot of them very well so it will be an exciting experience.”

Even more exciting for Armstrong will be the opportunity to play on a regular basis. Despite finishing 5th in the WHL with a 2.17 goals against average, and 9th in save percentage at .915%, Armstrong found himself on the outside looking in when the playoffs started. 18-year old goaltender Dustin Tokarski was one of the few goalies in the WHL to post better numbers than Armstrong, and Spokane Head Coach Bill Peters rewarded Tokarski with the start on the opening night of the playoffs. Tokarski in turn rewarded Peters by leading the Chiefs to the WHL and Memorial Cup titles, even earning Memorial Cup MVP along the way. While it was disappointing for Armstrong to be relegated to the back up role, he took it in stride and adopted a team-first approach for the remainder of the season. “I didn’t want to be sour with it, of course I wanted to play but Tokarski was on such a roll and playing so well that I knew the best way for me to help my teammates was to be happy and encouraging.

Those are qualities that the Cougars hope Armstrong will bring to Prince George, along with his outstanding ability. Armstrong considers himself to be a quiet leader, one who prefers to lead by example. “I’m looking forward to working with Ian Curtis, obviously he’s a younger guy with tons of potential and I think it’s going to be a lot fun.”

Armstrong and the rest of the Cougars arrive in Prince George on August 24th to open training camp at the CN Centre.