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**MoRcHeEbA** · 12-19-2003, 08:14 PM

Beef's wild idea now has some meat to it. Brandon promoter Darryl (Beef) Wolski announced yesterday that former NHL tough guys Tony Twist, Enrico Ciccone and Kurt Walker are three of 20 hockey players who have applied to fight in The Battle of the Hockey Gladiators, a pay-per-view event Wolski dreamed up three years ago and revealed to the opinionated hockey world last weekend.

"If you phone me back in 15 minutes there will be an update," said Wolski, whose cellphone has been ringing off the hook.

There was no doubt Wolski was going to get media attention -- "I'm trying to keep track of all the media stuff we've done. It's too far gone to control now," he said -- but the question was: Would anyone actually sign up?

Happy dance

The answer is yes, as Twist confirmed yesterday when reached just seconds before he went on the air to host his own radio show. Twist had no time to explain why he signed up, but Wolski was back in the Wheat City doing a happy dance.

"Tony Twist is monstrous," Wolski said. "His agent phoned me from New York and my phone fell to the floor and I went 'Wow, I didn't expect this.' "

"(Twist) said he's been talking to guys like Troy Crowder, and guys like him have expressed interest to him when he saw that he was interested."

Twist, 35, appeared in 445 NHL games between 1990 and 1999 and compiled 1,121 penalty minutes and could already be the event's coup de gras. But Ciccone, 33, is no slouch either, considering he appeared in just 374 NHL games between 1991 and 2001 and collected a whopping 1,469 penalty minutes.

Walker, 49, played sparingly for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the mid-1970s and spent 152 minutes in the sin bin over the span of 71 games.

"Those are a couple of name guys," Wolski said. "Today I've been bombarded with Quebec semi-pro guys. Those are actually the kind of guys I expect."

Wolski wants to have 64 combatants take to the ice at a yet-to-be-determined arena on Labour Day weekend next year. It costs $250 US to get in and the winner will take home $50,000 US. A panel of judges will decide the winner of each minute-long bout.

Wolski first targeted Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., as the site of his controversial show, but officials there haven't been returning his calls lately. Wolski said there are plenty of other potential sites.

The story first appeared in The Sun on Sunday and it has since gone global.

"Sunday came around and I picked up the paper," Wolski said. "I went to the rink and had the odd person laughing at me and this other person saying 'What are you doing?' And then the second call I get is from (Winnipeg radio station) Power 97, and I expected that.

"Then boom. It was just like an avalanche. On Monday it's CNN, Canada AM, Reuters, Canadian Press. I betcha almost every major market in North America -- radio or TV or print -- and now it's gone to Reuters, so now it's gone internationally.

"I've done India, Israel, I did Moscow and Kiev today on the phone with an interpreter. CNN wants to send a truck to Brandon to interview me during a Wheat King game. There's no way to imagine this. There's just no way."

Wolski said New York-based talent agency William Morris, which represents Hollywood stars and rock bands like the Rolling Stones, contacted him this week and are in negotiations to represent The Battle of the Hockey Gladiators in all necessary negotiations.

Wolski said he will travel to New York in January to meet with William Morris officials, then to St. Louis to speak with Budweiser about sponsorships and then on to Toronto to appear on TSN's Off The Record

there's an article that was in the paper in Winnipeg today.

12-19-2003, 08:14 PM	#16
MoRcHeEbA Dirty Sanchez Below Posts: 16,149	Beef's wild idea now has some meat to it. Brandon promoter Darryl (Beef) Wolski announced yesterday that former NHL tough guys Tony Twist, Enrico Ciccone and Kurt Walker are three of 20 hockey players who have applied to fight in The Battle of the Hockey Gladiators, a pay-per-view event Wolski dreamed up three years ago and revealed to the opinionated hockey world last weekend. "If you phone me back in 15 minutes there will be an update," said Wolski, whose cellphone has been ringing off the hook. There was no doubt Wolski was going to get media attention -- "I'm trying to keep track of all the media stuff we've done. It's too far gone to control now," he said -- but the question was: Would anyone actually sign up? Happy dance The answer is yes, as Twist confirmed yesterday when reached just seconds before he went on the air to host his own radio show. Twist had no time to explain why he signed up, but Wolski was back in the Wheat City doing a happy dance. "Tony Twist is monstrous," Wolski said. "His agent phoned me from New York and my phone fell to the floor and I went 'Wow, I didn't expect this.' " "(Twist) said he's been talking to guys like Troy Crowder, and guys like him have expressed interest to him when he saw that he was interested." Twist, 35, appeared in 445 NHL games between 1990 and 1999 and compiled 1,121 penalty minutes and could already be the event's coup de gras. But Ciccone, 33, is no slouch either, considering he appeared in just 374 NHL games between 1991 and 2001 and collected a whopping 1,469 penalty minutes. Walker, 49, played sparingly for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the mid-1970s and spent 152 minutes in the sin bin over the span of 71 games. "Those are a couple of name guys," Wolski said. "Today I've been bombarded with Quebec semi-pro guys. Those are actually the kind of guys I expect." Wolski wants to have 64 combatants take to the ice at a yet-to-be-determined arena on Labour Day weekend next year. It costs $250 US to get in and the winner will take home $50,000 US. A panel of judges will decide the winner of each minute-long bout. Wolski first targeted Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D., as the site of his controversial show, but officials there haven't been returning his calls lately. Wolski said there are plenty of other potential sites. The story first appeared in The Sun on Sunday and it has since gone global. "Sunday came around and I picked up the paper," Wolski said. "I went to the rink and had the odd person laughing at me and this other person saying 'What are you doing?' And then the second call I get is from (Winnipeg radio station) Power 97, and I expected that. "Then boom. It was just like an avalanche. On Monday it's CNN, Canada AM, Reuters, Canadian Press. I betcha almost every major market in North America -- radio or TV or print -- and now it's gone to Reuters, so now it's gone internationally. "I've done India, Israel, I did Moscow and Kiev today on the phone with an interpreter. CNN wants to send a truck to Brandon to interview me during a Wheat King game. There's no way to imagine this. There's just no way." Wolski said New York-based talent agency William Morris, which represents Hollywood stars and rock bands like the Rolling Stones, contacted him this week and are in negotiations to represent The Battle of the Hockey Gladiators in all necessary negotiations. Wolski said he will travel to New York in January to meet with William Morris officials, then to St. Louis to speak with Budweiser about sponsorships and then on to Toronto to appear on TSN's Off The Record there's an article that was in the paper in Winnipeg today.