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Amazingly, Daymond Langkow might play for Flames on Friday

Daymond Langkow

Calgary Flames center Daymond Langkow is taken from the game on a stretcher after being injured against the Minnesota Wild during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, March 21, 2010, in St. Paul, Minn. Langkow was hit in the back of the neck with a puck and did not appear to be moving as he was removed from the ice on a stretcher. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

AP

The Calgary Flames might not be officially eliminated from playoff contention, but after Wednesday’s tough loss to the Anaheim Ducks, they could already be in “moral victories” mode.

Call it a moral victory or not, but it doesn’t get much better - or more pleasantly surprising - as the probable return of center Daymond Langkow. There were many who justifiably wondered if he would ever play again after suffering a scary broken vertebra injury last season, yet it’s quite possible that he will play against the Calgary Flames on Friday.

Honestly, if this announcement was made on Friday itself instead of today, there might be reason to chalk it up to an April Fool’s Day prank. That’s how amazing his comeback really is; there’s always the chance that he would have been better off waiting until the 2011-12 season to be safe, but it would be great to see him play again.

Langkow hasn’t played in any games this season, but scored 37 points in 72 games in 2009-10 before suffering that terrible injury. He produced a 65 point campaign in 07-08 and a career-high 77 in 06-07, so the Flames have reason to be patient with him. He also has one year left on his contract. He’ll make $4.5 million next season.

It’s not a guarantee that Langkow will be back tomorrow night, so we’ll let you know if anything changes regarding that game. If he manages to play in Calgary’s final four games this season, it would be a great accomplishment - and a promising sign that he might be able to shoot for a Bill Masterton Trophy*-worthy year in 2011-12.

* This trophy is traditionally given to a player who overcame a personal tragedy or jarring injury to produce a great season, even if that might not be its technical definition.