Yes, there were tears. The Penguins were the only organization Colby Armstrong ever knew after being Pittsburgh's first-round draft pick in 2001.

And he was close to superstar Sidney Crosby. They were roommates on the road, and surely late-night conversations turned to one day raising a Stanley Cup together on a young team loaded with talent.

But when Thrashers coach and general manager Don Waddell insisted on Armstrong as part of a deal for Marian Hossa, everything changed.

"I was shocked and saddened to leave my friends," Armstrong said. "I'd been there for so long. . . . I was a little emotional. I'm not big on change. I keep my equipment until it falls apart. I keep everything, and I felt comfortable."

So yeah, he was upset. You would be, too.

He had bought a house. His girlfriend is from Pennsylvania. He doesn't know when he'll see his two dogs again now that he's living in a hotel. And he was leaving his closest friends.

But don't confuse that emotion with him not wanting to be in Atlanta. Erik Christensen, who joined Armstrong in making their Thrashers debuts Thursday night, noticed a change in his friend and teammate Wednesday.

He saw it in his eyes. They weren't red from crying, but instead eager to see what the future held.

"As these last two days have gone along, he's starting to forget about Pittsburgh and really starting to embrace the change," Christensen said.

It started when Mark Recchi picked up the two for practice Wednesday and they got to meet their new teammates. Then Recchi handed them the keys to his truck and suggested they explore the city.

Depending heavily on a GPS system, they spent Wednesday driving around Atlanta and were especially impressed by Phipps Plaza.

"I called my girlfriend and said, 'Hands down, it's better shopping than Pittsburgh,' " Armstrong said.

That's a start.

By the time Thursday's morning skate was over, Armstrong no longer referred to the Thrashers as "they" as he had shortly after the trade. He joked that he dug the logo and team colors.

Pretty soon, he might even break out his victory dance.

"After we win, sometimes I crank out a pretty good little dance party," Armstrong said. "You can't just jump into that."

But you could see he was warming up.

With Armstrong and Christensen, there are now six former Penguins on the roster, and all of them talk about what Armstrong brings to the dressing room.

He pulls elaborate April Fool's pranks, he does victory dances, and nobody is safe from his humor.

His physical play on the ice and his wit off of it made him a fan favorite in Pittsburgh.

Well, that and his cheesy local-car-dealer commercials and willingness to bring pizzas to fans waiting in line to get the student discount.

When Penguins season-ticket holder Joe Stiger heard that Crosby referred to Armstrong, also nicknamed Army, as Arm Pit, he made a giant "Army Pit" sign to hang in front of his seat at Mellon Arena.

Stiger's e-mail inbox was flooded Thursday morning with Penguins fans urging him to keep it up.

Kathy Lawrence, 15, from Abbottstown, Pa., was devastated when she heard about the trade. Armstrong was her favorite player, because he was her dad's favorite.

She plans to listen to Thrashers games on the Internet. Her framed autographed poster of Armstrong will remain above her bed.

"My room is staying the same —- right where he always is," she said. "You guys are going to love him down there. They're really going to love him."

NEXT FOR THRASHERS

> Who: at Bruins

> When: 1 p.m. Saturday

> TV; radio: SportSouth; 680 AM