When a European hockey clip goes viral during the NHL offseason, it is usually because something crazy happened. This is no exception.In a Swedish Allsvenskan preseason game between Tingsryd and Oskarshamn this week, 23-year-old linesman Anton Starby got his right hand stuck in the boards trying to avoid a collision, resulting in his fingertip being torn off.
Starby screamed for about five minutes before being sedated to stop the pain, according to Tingsryd coach Magnus Sundquist. The injury took a toll on the players, too, who played the remainder of the game quite calmly due to the shock of the gruesome injury, ending in a 6-4 Tingsryd win."It was the nastiest I have ever experienced," Sundquist said. "He tore off his finger, literally. Players wondered what was [the] rope that hung on the rim, but it was the finger. Our doctor had to remove it."This was really nasty and very unlucky. It may happen one in a million."Despite the injury, Starby plans to return to the Swedish Allsvenskan league when he recovers from surgery. He's a brave man.Freak injury during a pre-season game in Sweden last night, linesman gets finger ripped off in the boards… — Robert Söderlind (@HockeyWebCast)August 17, 2016