“I’m just excited for tomorrow” – Bo Byram talks about his first game back, in the minors (+)

ONTARIO, Calif. – Bo Byram had just played his first game in more than three months, against an AHL team that seemed to take particular relish in going out of its way to test him physically – with hits and extracurricular activity that started to border on “Slap Shot” equivalence toward the end. It was worrisome to see, particularly when Ontario Reign forward Martin Frk started throwing haymakers at Byram’s head in a third-period mini-brawl that started with a hard hit on Byram along the boards and a Byram slash to Frk’s legs.

After the game, though, Byram was upbeat and smiling, even conversing with a couple players from the Reign in the hallway, including former Avs and Colorado Eagles player T.J. Tynan.

In his first public comments since taking a personal leave from the Avalanche right before Christmas, Byram Friday night told Colorado Hockey Now he was encouraged by how the night went – and not just on the scoreboard, an 8-1 Eagles win.