"Soccer games aren't unusual at the Saddledome during optional practice days.

Seeing Daymond Langkow taking part, however, is no longer a regular occurrence.

But there he was Friday morning, kicking the ball around with a handful of his Calgary Flames teammates. Saturday morning, a stall in the locker-room sprung up with his equipment and a nameplate.

They're first signs in a long while Langkow has reason to be positive about a possible return to the NHL after suffering a fractured vertebra last March.

A specialist based in Carolina who deals with football neck injuries has cleared Langkow to resume light workouts and projects a possible return to his hockey career in two to three months.

Unless the Flames reach the Stanley Cup final, that means it's still unlikely the 34-year-old centre currently on the long-term injured list will play until next season.

But his teammates are excited to have him around for some kick-ball for now.

"He's still got it. I don't think he's lost much," said David Moss, one of the half-dozen trying to keep the ball in the air in the lower level of the Dome Friday. "