MANALAPAN, Fla. — Chris Armstong pulls up a chair on the patio of the lavish Eau Palm Beach Hotel & Spa and takes in a breath of fresh sea air as waves from the Atlantic pool over the sand at a metronomic rhythm just 60 metres away.
He exhales audibly, takes a sip of coffee and embraces the serenity of the scene ahead of a conversation about how it’s felt to be figuratively running at full speed and on max incline since he was named president of hockey operations of the newly minted Utah Hockey Club five months ago.
Armstrong’s role as alternate governor of the franchise has provided this brief respite— this is technically a business trip to meet with the rest of the NHL’s Board of Governors — but brief is all…