It might have been one guy's nose, or the other's caboose.

Or maybe it was outrageous snoring. Or a penchant for watching "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Nothing, it seemed, was off-limits when quirky, quick-witted Colby Armstrong and normally subdued superstar Sidney Crosby decided to dish on each other or keep each other honest.

"Dude!" Armstrong would yell when Crosby tried to climb on the humble train. "You're Sidney [expletive] Crosby!"

They were quite a pair as Penguins teammates, road roommates and sometimes linemates the past few seasons, shackled together by laughter and shenanigans.

Then, like something from a tragicomic version of "The Odd Couple," the close friends were separated.

Armstrong was sent to Atlanta as part of a blockbuster Feb. 26 trade that brought Crosby a new, high-profile winger, Marian Hossa.

Crosby wasn't with the team on the road that day because of a high ankle sprain and didn't get to say goodbye. He was still out of the lineup when the Thrashers played at Mellon Arena five days later -- a 3-2 Penguins shootout win -- but got to visit with Armstrong briefly after the game.

Tonight, they will face each other as opponents for the first time when the Penguins play at Philips Arena.

It's not known whether Armstrong, who has been playing with center Marty Reasoner and another former Penguins player, Chris Thorburn, will be on the ice against Crosby and his wingers, but, if Armstrong gets within earshot, needless to say, he is ready.

"Hopefully, I can get under his skin a little bit with a few lines maybe that could sting," he said this week.

"I'll let it build gradually, work my way up. I'll try to keep up with him with these skinny legs."

Crosby, informed yesterday of Armstrong's intentions, smiled.

"He can say anything. It wouldn't even come close to working," Crosby said. "I haven't taken him seriously in three years. What makes him think I'm going to start now?

"I would be probably laughing inside, maybe not showing it, but, if he tries anything, I won't even give him the benefit of saying anything back. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction."

Armstrong was thrown by the trade from the team that drafted him in the first round in 2001 -- four years before the Penguins won the draft lottery to take Crosby first overall. He had 37 goals, 98 points in 181 games with the Penguins.

He adjusted after the deal well enough to log four goals, seven assists in 18 games with Atlanta, which did not make the playoffs.

"I thought I finished the year well, was a bit of a go-to guy for the team down the stretch, even though we were out of it," Armstrong said. "I got a good start this season, but I kind of cooled off a little bit lately."

Atlanta had won five games in a row before falling Sunday in Philadelphia, 4-3. Erik Christensen, also part of the Hossa trade, got his first goal of the season in that game, giving him eight points.

The Penguins are in a similar situation, having won six in a row before a 2-1 shootout loss Tuesday against Minnesota.

Armstrong has two goals, seven points in 17 games. He had a stretch of four points in three games in late October but has just one assist in the past six. That could be partly because he has been playing on the left side, his off wing, in recent games.

"It's a little bit of an adjustment," Armstrong said. "It's tough for me because I'm just a stupid hockey player."

He was smart enough to land a gig with Sportsnet doing in-studio Canadian television during the Stanley Cup final between the Penguins and Detroit. He was in Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4.

"It was emotional for me the first time I went in there," he said. "You see the Stanley Cup logos and hear the crowd."

Television is something Armstrong, who turns 26 Sunday, is interested in pursuing after his playing days, but he declined an offer to continue with Sportsnet after Game 4, partly because it was difficult to watch and critique his former teammates.

And partly because he wanted to get on with the offseason and work on his gangly 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame.

"I've got to keep this temple of a body ready, feed the temple," Armstrong said.

Crosby and Armstrong remain close, although Armstrong complained he does a bigger share of the work to keep in touch.

"He's not too good at answering his phone," Armstrong said. "He should get a pager instead of a cell phone."

The two planned to get together last night after the Penguins landed in Atlanta.

Or, as Crosby put it with a dose of sarcasm, "I'll give him a call back and see what he's up to."