Brothers Fight Each Other During ‘Ice Wars’, The Latest Venture From AJ Galante Of Danbury Thrashers Fame

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Are you tired of hockey without the fights? A.J. Galante, who found hockey success in the early 2000s after his father bought him a minor league hockey team only to have it go under when dad, who is reportedly an associate of the Genovese crime family, was sent to federal prison on a slew of charges related to his business dealings as the trash czar of Danbury, Connecticut, IS BACK.

Jimmy Galante and his son A.J. saw their social media profile rise to god-like status in 2021 after Netflix released ‘Untold: Crime and Penalties’ which told the story of how Jimmy came to buy the Danbury Thrashers hockey team and turn it over to his then-17-year-old son.

A.J. Galante promptly put together a team full of tough-guy enforcers who gave fans entertainment on a nightly basis. The 2004 roster featured ten guys who had 100-plus penalty minutes. The 2005 roster included Brad Wingfield who had 320 penalty minutes in 36 games.

The Galantes loved enforcers then and now A.J. is officially in the enforcer business with ‘Ice Wars’ where hockey bad boys face off on skates while wearing UFC-like padded gloves and they’re ready to throw hands.

In its May 21 debut held in Enoch, Alberta, ‘Ice Wars’ even pitted brothers — Jordan and Ben Kennedy — in a bought that lasted approximately three seconds before little brother Jordan knocked out his older brother.

 

 

By the end of Galante’s 8-man single-elimination tournament, it was Daniel Amesbury, a former minor league brawler who had stints in the Federal, Southern (career-high 250 PIM with the Columbus Cottonmouths in 2011-12) and Central hockey leagues, was the last man standing.

Let’s stop right there and talk about how genius this idea is. Galante clearly knows barbarism sells pay-per-views and the promise of instant action is going to get the blood pumping for viewers who don’t want to see these guys walk a half-mile to the ring.

Get in there and fight.

“This is prize fighting on ice,” Galante during the buildup to opening night. “It’s a play on something that has been part of hockey lore and tradition… but it’s not hockey. It’s not going to be for everyone, but I believe there is a huge market for it, and I believe we’re going to do something special.”

Professional hockey has pretty much legislated goons right out of the sport, so in steps Galante to give fans what they used to see at a hockey rink — minus the actual game.

It’s absolutely genius and makes me think there are other possibilities out there like running backs vs. linebackers. We live in a TikTok society that wants 20-second content bursts to satisfy their brains.

This is just serving the consumer.

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Written by Joe Kinsey

Joe Kinsey is the Senior Director of Content of OutKick and the editor of the Morning Screencaps column that examines a variety of stories taking place in real America.

Kinsey is also the founder of OutKick’s Thursday Night Mowing League, America’s largest virtual mowing league.

Kinsey graduated from University of Toledo.

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