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I’m always on the lookout for heroic acts of Hockey Guy-ism, and boy, oh boy, have we got one coming to us from the American Hockey League.

The Laval Rocket — the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens — played host to the Syracuse Crunch — the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night in the first of two back-to-back games between the two teams.

One thing I love about minor league hockey is that, typically, in a bid to save some money, teams play the same opponents over and over, which can help build some beefs. Sure, it’s early in the season, but it sure didn’t take long for things to come to a head between the two teams.

Laval’s Vincent Arseneau and Syracuse’s Kale Kessey squared off just a few minutes into the game. It was a fantastic fight that looked to be a draw, but if there was a loser it was the ring finger on Arseneau’s left hand which had a bit of a chicane after the bout.

No worries, though, he cracked that bad boy back into place before he was even off the ice.

(*Maybe just take my word for it and skip the video if you’re a bit squeamish*)

Say it with me: Hockey. Guy.

I don’t know if you’ve ever suffered a traumatic finger injury — my life changed after a freak beach volleyball incident in college that left my one pinky finger with a bit of crook in it — but it’s not fun.

The 32-year-old, who spent last season with the Providence Bruins, didn’t return after that bout due to what the team referred to as an upper-body injury. 

I think we all have a good guess as to what the more specific injury was.

Still, Areseneau is tough as nails, and his Laval Rocket teammates skated to a 5-2 win. However, he is not in the lineup for Saturday’s rematch.

Once again, I think we know why…