Arber Xhekaj wasn't about to miss his brother's fight, even while playing in a completely different game at the same time.
Montreal ran two split squads Saturday night, one facing off against a Toronto squad while the other Canadiens group played simultaneously elsewhere.
Florian Xhekaj dropped the gloves during that other game, and word travelled fast to his older brother on the bench.
"There was a little bit of time in between the whistles, so the guy pulled his phone out and showed me the fight. It was a sick fight," Arber said.
That's a Canadien getting live fight footage passed to him on the bench mid-game, from a teammate's borrowed phone no less.
Arber posted 4 points in 65 games last season, going plus-5, a steady depth defenseman who clearly still keeps close tabs on his younger brother's game.
Florian, on an $866,667 cap hit, is fighting for a bottom-six spot after appearing in just 5 games with Montreal last season.
Why this moment says something about camp right now
Split-squad preseason games always create these strange, disconnected moments where teammates find out about each other's nights secondhand.
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But a brother getting real-time fight footage on the bench is a level of camaraderie that goes beyond the usual locker room grapevine.
Montreal finished 48-24-10 for 106 points this season, sixth overall, giving both Xhekaj brothers a real, competitive roster to fight for a spot on.
Neither brother offers much on the scoresheet, but moments like Florian's fight are exactly the type of thing that gets a coaching staff's attention during roster cuts.
Head coach Martin St-Louis has plenty of these split-squad nights to sort through before final decisions get made, and small stories like this one tend to travel fast inside a room.
For now, it's a fun family footnote in a much bigger camp battle both Xhekaj brothers are still trying to win.
Should physical, high-energy players like Florian Xhekaj get real consideration for a roster spot?
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