Claude Giroux suffers the manliest golf injury in hockey history, out 5-6 weeks

Not since Erik Johnson’s 2008 season was derailed by a demonic golf cart (or a hapless game of golf polo) has the National Hockey League seen a good walk spoiled by an offseason injury to a star player.

That is, until Thursday’s news that Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux will miss up to six weeks after finger surgery following … well, just read the team’s statement:

First off, it’s good to know it was Giroux’s index finger that was injured. He can live without pointing and laughing; but had it been his middle finger, we can’t imagine how hard it would have been to effectively communicate with other Philadelphians in their native language.

If you’re like us, you assumed any hockey player getting injured during a round of golf might have been conked on the head by the windmill or, perhaps, suffered an unfortunate ricochet off the clown’s mouth.

But not Giroux. In fact, is this not the manliest, most bad-ass golf injury we’ve ever had in hockey?

We say again: “His golf club shattered.” The sheer power of the Claude Giroux drive was too much for his equipment to handle, splintering his club and no doubt sending the ball into low Earth orbit!

Unless, of course, he was simply using composite clubs, in which case this is probably commonplace …

Godspeed, Claude Giroux. The Flyers can ill afford to be without their top scorer as the season begins, as they try to get back to the playoffs after missing the cut last season. Which naturally makes their captain getting injured while golfing highly appropriate and unintentionally hilarious.

Feel no shame, good sir. Don't take it from us. Take it from an expert: