June 1, 2023 • 35 mins
As the Trashers continue their inaugural season, the win-at-all-costs attitude of their owners has implications both on and off the ice. But as their opponents start to fight back, a blood curdling act of violence rips into the team.
The Fighty Pucks is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio.
For more from Novel visit novel.audio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Novel.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
When I visited Danbrie, I asked Aj Galante to show
me a place he spent a lot of his teenage years.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Can you describe where we're walking?
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Yeah, this is basically the lacker.
Speaker 5 (00:22):
Room area, the Danbrie Trasha's former locker room. If I
want to check that it's.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Getting changed before I go in there, it could be
very awkward.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (00:34):
Cool.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
A different team share this locker room today.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
And the stench of wet dog and sweat smells foul
to me, but it hits Aj with a wave of nostalgia.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Oh yeah, it smells a good wet dog in here.
That's disgusting. Yeah, this is a fresh batch of sweating.
Speaker 6 (00:51):
Here.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
He's transported back to two thousand and four, to the
days of juggling academic assignments with running a hockey team.
Speaker 6 (01:00):
This was it. This was where all guys were.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
So this was the main locker.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
Room area here.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
You still see the blue right here, And we used
to have a trasher carpet in the middle.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
And my dad built up by the time the Trashers
were up and playing. In October two thousand and four,
he'd graduated high school and taken up a place at
nearby college. He'd spend the weekdays studying business management and
then head back to Danbury on the weekends for his
well unusual side hustle managing a professional sports team. And
it was in this stinky locker room that AJ built
(01:31):
a relationship with his players.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
The reality was, I can't come as an authority figure
to them because they're never going to take me serious.
I'm younger than all these guys, so I tried to
gain their respect in other ways.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
In a little office next to the locker room, AJ
would get down to his presidential duties, working out the
next moves for his team, who to.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
Recruit, who to trade.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
It wasn't easy to keep his mind on the job
with a bunch of rowdy hockey players next door.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
In a weird way, I was like everyone's little brother.
They'd be coming in messing with me. Usually this was
the time I try to get some homework done before
the games, but I'd always end up playing video games
with them or something.
Speaker 5 (02:14):
AJ walks me out of the locker room into the corridor.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Doesn't look like much blue nylon carpet, gray walls.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Twenty minutes before the guys would go out to the
rink to play. We'd walk this carpet and we'd stand
right here.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Sometimes Jimmy would lead the pregame ritual, unusual for a
team owner.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
My dad would talk to the team before each game,
you know, little pet talk or whatever. Guys would clap
after and you go down these steps.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
The trashers would walk along this corridor and down a
stairway to a pair of heavy metal doors, onto the
icy battlefield, and when it was over, when or lose,
they'd retreat, tired and sweaty, back to the locker room
to get some honest feedback from.
Speaker 6 (02:59):
Their if we won the game.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It was a great atmosphere, happy players, happy owners. The
sweet smell of sweat and victory filled the air. That
was the mood after the Trash has successful opening night.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
But very soon the smell turned sour.
Speaker 7 (03:19):
The Danbury trailing five to two and we got the medium.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
It wasn't long.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Before the Trash has started losing. In their second ever game,
they lost to the Almira Jackals five.
Speaker 7 (03:30):
Two, Danbury Sails here.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Before October was over, they'd lost another three times.
Speaker 8 (03:37):
Well, they have lost both of their games against each
cur Division teams. Danbury will look to step up their
efforts in that department.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
You can't win every game, right, but the Galantes do
not like to lose, especially Jimmy.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
He's fuming.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
My dad was mad. There's a lot of ways that
could have went wrong for you, you.
Speaker 6 (03:59):
Know, depending.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
As soon as the trash is leave the ice to
get changed, he marches out of his owner's box and
down to the team locker room and he's.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Ripping the team. He's ripping all you guys playing like
girls out there, you know, blah blah blah, blah blah.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
Jimmy grabs a bag of tennis balls.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Off a locker room floor and I'm looking at him like, Okay,
this is weird. What the hell is he doing? He
goes for all you guys out there that don't have
a set of balls, here they are.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Jimmy rips open the bag and.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
He throws them. I'll never forget it because I wanted
to almost laugh, but you have to bite your tongue
so hard to his point where you're bleeding, because I'd
be like, if he sees me laugh, he's gonna slap
me in the face.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
The players are shocked, but not Aj. He's had eighteen
years to learn that all important lesson.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
You do not fuck with Jimmy Galante.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
If we weren't performing, it was hell to pay for sure.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Jimmy won't tolerate any more losses. AJ needs help and
he knows who to.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Turn to.
Speaker 9 (05:01):
That I know a lot of tricks that the trade.
Yet did I bring my trick bag with me? Yeah?
Effort wins over talent every night.
Speaker 7 (05:08):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Former coach and all round hockey bad boy T Bone Pompoicello,
he'd already helped the Galantes put the team together. Now
he's on hand to help give the trash as an edge,
testing the limits of the law to win.
Speaker 9 (05:24):
It wasn't hurt anybody. It was to get the advantage.
But it's more of a mind game at that level.
Even though it's professional, you know, you still can mind fuck.
And that's what we did every night.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
I'm Claire Crofton from the teams at Novel and iHeartRadio.
This is the fighty Pups Game, four Dirty Tricks.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
Thomas T.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Bone Pompacello had helped AJ harness his bad boys style
of hockey. Then he helped the Trashers sign some of
their toughest players like Brad Wingfield. So when The Trash
has kicked off their debut season and started losing. It's
no surprise that aj cigar smoking rule breaking sense was
on hand to help jump start their season. T Bone
(06:33):
joins The Trash's ranks. His official title equipment manager. His
duties include, well, at first, he's a bit evasive about that.
Speaker 9 (06:43):
We took simple things and turned it into advantages. We
took people's hearts and I'm just avoiding your question. I
don't know if you see that. I can see that.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yeah, but it doesn't take long to get t Bone talking.
In fact, it seems like he can't wait to tell
me about the very important role he played.
Speaker 9 (07:03):
Of course, I knew a lot of different tricks. One was,
you know, washing the jerseys and Crisco and the other
team couldn't get a handle on it to hold on
to fight.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
If you're not familiar with Crisco, it's not laundry detergent,
it's oil. And when you're trying to batter someone in
the middle of a hockey game, the last thing you
want is an oiled up rival.
Speaker 9 (07:24):
It was like fighting a guy with no shirt on.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
T Bone's dark arts are not restricted to the rink.
The man is committed. The night before one home game,
he drives through a snowstorm to the outskirts of town,
where he books himself into a hotel.
Speaker 9 (07:43):
There was a host hotel that took care of the
visiting teams, and they were scheduled to arrive at twelve
thirty one o'clock and I was already checked into the hotel.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
T Bone gets settled in for the night. He's up
early the next morning, thirty am to be precise. He
sneaks out of his room and creeps through the hotel
corridor towards the fire alarm. T Bone dashes back into
(08:14):
his room, which happens to have an excellent view over
the hotel parking lot.
Speaker 9 (08:20):
I'm looking at the window through the crack, and there
it is the whole other team standing out there and
their you know, their pajamas and their shorts and stuff.
The fire department was there and the front desk was
involved with it.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
The next day, the Trashes have a much easier game
against their sleep deprived opposition.
Speaker 9 (08:38):
There they were next morning at the rink. They're like, yo,
we will fire on one off with like no way. Wow,
They're like yeah, they kept us in the parking lot.
For an hour. You know, sleep is important to hockey
players and rest.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
As the two thousand and four season continues, t Bone's
tactics seem to be working.
Speaker 7 (08:56):
Ever Trasher their recent on Deep Street. They are four oh.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
In one in their last fly A game in November.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
The trash has hit a winning streak, bulldozing the Adi
Rondack Frostbite before destroying the New York based team Almira
and making the Richmond RiverDogs. How after destroying them for two.
Speaker 7 (09:14):
Every trashers at what grace rate they are?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
But t Bone and AJ are just getting warmed up
with their fishy tactics.
Speaker 9 (09:22):
Literally allegedly, I like to use that word. Allegedly, AJ
and I went to the fish market.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Allegedly AJ's dressed in a sweatsuit, t Bone in a
Trasher's team jacket. These two don't exactly look like they're
planning on fileting a seaburs anytime soon.
Speaker 9 (09:43):
We're just giggling the whole time. He was like, my kid, brother,
you're punching each other trying to figure out what fish,
how big.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
The fishmonger looks at these two guys in their sports clothes,
not his usual cli intel.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
And what they're asking for is a little unusual.
Speaker 9 (09:58):
Too, are smelling fish and what goes bad the fastest.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
After they've paid for their fish, T Bone and AJ
make their way over to the arena and park up.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
Outside in the car.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
T Bone lights up one of his signature cigars and
puffs away until they see the last person lock up
and leave. By this point, the carrier bags of fish
in the boot of T Bone's car have developed quite
the stench. Under the cover of darkness, the pair creep
towards the arena. T Bone produces a key cigar. Smoke
(10:39):
trails behind them As they make their way to the
opposing team's locker room. AJ turns the heat up and
takes hold of the stinking bags.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
T Bone gives him a.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Leg up so he can reach the ceiling. The vent
comes loose and AJ that's what he's come.
Speaker 9 (10:57):
Here to do, shove a headshit at the vents and
the thing was falling on my face. Classic. It was
just classic.
Speaker 8 (11:07):
Hello everybody, and welcome to the Danbury ai S Arena.
I'm Filgibalo and this is the first of two a
weekend series against the visiting Flint General.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
A few days after T Bone and AJ's little adventure
to the fish market. The Flint Generals roll into town
rumor has it. Their players head into the ice arena,
and as they get to the locker room, the smell
of rancid fish overwhelms them.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
Players double over and begin to wretch.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It can't have been easy getting kitted up whilst trying
to keep down the vomit. But somehow the Generals get
out on the ice. No doubt, the Trashes have the
edge of their green faced rivals allegedly yep, sorry t bone,
allegedly green faced rivals.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
But as the hockey sense himself puts it.
Speaker 9 (11:54):
The little things matter and that's how you win.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Maybe he's onto something.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Obury dominated, the Trash has beat the Generals two to one,
and then the following night they do it all over again,
this time coming out with a three to two victory
the second time, now a fine margin in both games.
Maybe the Fish bench gave them the edge. Did you
ever worry that like you were cheating?
Speaker 9 (12:20):
No, cheating is like on a test that was guerrilla
warfare at its highest. I know in my heart it
was done to win, and I said, fuck it, I'm
just going to do all we have to do. To
win and have fun doing it. Yeah, whatever means necessary.
If you're committed, you'll nail your boss to the wall
(12:40):
to win.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Just two months into their first season, the Trashers are.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
Earning themselves a reputation.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Other teams in the UHL are beginning to understand that
when Aj and Jimmy described their team as the bad
Boys of hockey, it wasn't just a marketing ploy.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
These guys are for real. Games in Danbury are wild.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
Wow, now we've got to actually going on.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Everyone just pushing it, shoving big upper cuts here at
the Deanery Ice, browniest fans of pro hockey.
Speaker 10 (13:18):
Like I said to myself, Okay, well, come to the jungle.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
David Fighter.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Dill grew up playing hockey in the Czech Republic, but
by November two thousand and four he was getting settled
into the US hockey scene. He played for the ADI
Rundack Frostbite, and it was in those games against the
Trashes that David fully experienced the meaning of the word goon.
Speaker 10 (13:39):
Basically, they called the guys who the job for them
is really only go on the ice and fight.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
And how many did the Trashes have?
Speaker 9 (13:47):
Initially in the beginning, I would say for squad.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
A full squad of goons.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
So, along with everyone else who ever played against the Trashes,
David was on the rec end of some serious scoonery.
Speaker 10 (14:02):
They were not interested in playing hockey. Let's put it
this way. They wanted to put a show on the ice.
So they were going absolutely nuts. It was not about hockey.
It was about trying to scare us. Guys got cheap shots,
guys got soccer punched, and it was the same every game.
Nothing pretty, nothing fair, absolutely not. If there is a
(14:25):
need for the fight, that is absolutely no problem. But
is there a need for the fight every shift? I
don't think so. You felt like, Okay, I'm not sure
that's what I sign up for and that's what I
want to do.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
But this is hockey. Buying is part of the game.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Players on the rival teams have no intention of backing
down when things get tough.
Speaker 10 (14:46):
Many of the guys took it as a challenge. I
saw guys working out extra, I saw guys getting bigger, stronger,
myself included. They thought we're gonna be intimidated. We said, okay,
if that's what we're gonna face done, that's where we're
going to face.
Speaker 7 (15:04):
Time out for a look at the United Hockey League
score more the game.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
By the end of November two thousand and four, a
quarter of the way through their first season, the Trash
has fought their way to the top of the toughest
division in the league, with a two point lead over
David's team that added Rundack Frostbite.
Speaker 8 (15:20):
The Danbury Trashers, of course, having a stellar season first place.
Speaker 7 (15:24):
In the East.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
The Trashers have bagged a seven game winning streak. They're
feeling invincible.
Speaker 8 (15:30):
But Danbury really looking for a test.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
A test, and they're about to get one because by now,
rifle players have caught onto the Trash's style and worked
out how to combat it.
Speaker 10 (15:43):
We knew what's coming and we were ready.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Game after game of pushing their opponents to the limits
with dirty tricks and brutal play, the opposition are about
to fight fire with fire, and the Trashers are about
to discover their own breaking point.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
More after the break.
Speaker 11 (16:20):
Hey trash Ers Vans, your holiday list won't be complete
this year without a trip to the Trashers team shop.
From sweatshirts to clocks, ticket to riven and stuff scrappy.
The Danvery Trashers Team shop has something for everyone this
holiday season. So whether that fan on your list has
been naughty or nice, it's not by the team shop
at the Danbury Ice Arena to pick up that perfect
Trashuers get and happy holiday. It's from the Danbury Trashers
(16:42):
Eat Sassus.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
It's December first, two thousand and four, and the holiday
season is here. The festive chair in Danbury has a
fresh flavor this year. The city is celebrating its new
hockey team. Since their debut in October, the Trashers have
bought night after night of entertainment downtown. Finally there's something
to see in Danbury. Fights galore, suspensions, penalty minutes, Nights
(17:15):
on the ice arena are action packed, and the surrounding
bars and restaurants are pumping. The team hasn't just been
putting on a good show.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
The Trashers have been on a winning streak, but tonight's
game is vital.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Those losses earlier in the season, I mean they need
to keep on winning if they stand a chance of
bagging the Colonial Cup.
Speaker 8 (17:39):
And good evening, everybody, Welcome to the Danbury Ice Arena.
Speaker 7 (17:42):
This is Danbury Trashuer's Hockey.
Speaker 8 (17:44):
Bilgi Bolaya, wishing you guys a merry Christmas, Happy Honeka,
happy Holidays.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Tonight, the Trashes are up against a way more experienced team,
the Kalamazoo Wings.
Speaker 8 (17:55):
The Kalamazoo Wings about to face off here momentarily as.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Fans take their seats, the atmosphere is tense, but when
the referee drops the puck, the Trashers.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Don't exactly seem worried.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
I mean, what's experienced when you're the self proclaimed bad
boys of hockey? Right, Brad Wingfield, the team's staff fighter,
is straight in on the action, attacking the Kalamazoo players.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Business as usual.
Speaker 8 (18:23):
Coming up by Brad Wingfield hooking, he will go to
the box of the games first palty.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
And Brad is more than just a fighter.
Speaker 7 (18:31):
There's Redski up the near win two on one for
the live from.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
The high slat patching it bro what high they starve?
Speaker 7 (18:36):
Brad like well takes the pain from bread. Bret's good Danbury.
Where they come in, they bring all.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
Things couldn't be going better.
Speaker 9 (18:45):
But then.
Speaker 12 (18:47):
I just heard kind of like a general grown from
the crowd, and then just like brutal screaming.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Two players have collided on the ice, nothing unusual, but
even from way up. In his commentary booth, commentator Filled
Jubileo consents that something is different this time.
Speaker 12 (19:10):
And I saw that Brad Wingfield was down on the ice.
Speaker 8 (19:12):
Wingfield is pulled down and he is a bit slow
getting up, and he is a sub serious pain ride down.
Speaker 12 (19:19):
I never heard just guttural moans of that nature in
my life, like you shot an animal and you know
it's just moaning because it's in such pain. It's a
primal scream.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
The play has stopped. In the crowd, eyes of wide,
mouths open. No one can believe what they're seeing.
Speaker 12 (19:41):
Brad on his back, kind of rolling around with his
leg kind of up in the air. The crowd was
just hushed, silent. You could hear a pin drop.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
Fans want to know why their favorite player is writhing
around in pain. All Phil can do is fill the silence.
Speaker 13 (19:58):
Wakefield is a serious pain ride now on a swat
on the caliber zooland wondering if he didn't have his
light stepped on by a skate that.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Might have been in e medic rushes onto the ice and.
Speaker 7 (20:08):
The doctor is coming on for Danbury. That's never a
good side.
Speaker 13 (20:12):
But right now, it is an issue of just trying
to stabilize Brad Wingfield do is writhing in severe agony.
Speaker 7 (20:19):
Wingfield is plushing on to Danbury trainer her dear life.
Speaker 13 (20:23):
It seems a rough spot for the trash is to be,
and both teams are back at their respective benches.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
All Phil can do is state the obvious.
Speaker 7 (20:34):
This is not very good or the Danbury trashures.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
From his elevated position, it's not clear to Phil just
how bad this is, but to the players down on
the ice, it's obvious that Brad's injury is catastrophic.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
It was like the loudest crack. It was like echoing
through the arena.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Trasha Jeff State was skating past when Brad went down.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
I'll never forget the look on his face of just
like sheer terror. He was like crying out for help.
He made it to like his hands and knees, and
then he was just looking up like his mouth was
wide open and he's just his like eyes were like
super wide and he was just yelling out. I don't
think he knew what was going on.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
It was ugly.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Jeff saw Brad flying backwards over the skate of rival.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
Player Josh Elzinger.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
He says, Josh pulled one of the most painous moves
in the book of band hockey moves, something called a
slew foot.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
Add that to your hockey glossary.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
You stick one of your legs behind their leg and
then you take your arm and push their chest backwards
and you push your leg forwards at the same time,
so it kind of contorts the body backwards. It takes
you off balance and like throws you backward.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Josh Elzinger didn't respond to my requests for an interview,
so I don't know what his intentions were. Did he
mean to send Brad Wingfield crashing onto the ice. Maybe
it was just an accident, or maybe Josh had had
enough of the trash's antics and he snapped. Either way,
I'm pretty sure Josh didn't anticipate what would happen next.
(22:23):
From his owner's box, Jimmy Galante has been looking on
as his whole drama unravels.
Speaker 12 (22:30):
Jimmy was pretty upset. He was yelling down at the officials,
chying to like confront the linesman, probably for missing it.
Missing the call from high up.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
On his commentator's platform, Phil can see Jimmy on his feet,
yelling towards the ice. His face twisted with rage as
he watched his Brad get carried away by the medics.
Speaker 13 (22:49):
Reds, we're coming out and they're going to take Winfield
off that way. Does not appear that he is going
to be skating off under his own power.
Speaker 6 (22:56):
Here.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
As they bring the boarding, Alzinger is sent to the
but for Jimmy, the punishment doesn't.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
Come close to justice. He's furious and now his anger
is not just focused on Elzinger, but the game.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Officials, and one of them alignsman by the name of
Jim Harper, beckons Jimmy down to the ice.
Speaker 5 (23:15):
He wants to fight it out.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
More.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
After the break, Trash's tough guy, Brad Wingfield is doped
up on morphine. He's lying on the ambulance bed, racing
(23:43):
through Danbury at lightning speed.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
You go in and out of shock, right like your
foot's supposed to be pointing up like that and it's down.
You can feel the bones scraping against each other or
you're insides or whatever.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
Brad doesn't know it yet, but his leg is broken
in three places.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
It's extremely painful having your legs shattered like that.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
This might well be a career ending injury.
Speaker 6 (24:12):
You're like, yeah, this could be it, This could definitely
be it could be all over here.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
As I drive towards the hospital at top speed, not
even the morphine can keep the agony at bay.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
It's painful, always hidden every bump because your bones just
rubbed together. I can remember yelling at the ambulance driver
that if he hit another fucking pothole, I was kinda dummium.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
The ambulance arrives at Danbury Hospital, Brad is loaded onto
a trolley. He's rushed into the er, passing a group
of hospital stuff huddled around radio.
Speaker 5 (24:50):
The Trashes are back on the ice and back on
the airwaves.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
As the distant sounds of his team float through the hospital,
Brad slips in and out of morphine induced unconsciousness with
a smile on his face.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
Women back on the ice.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Brad's teammate, Ruman Nadu aka the Nigerian Nightmare, has already begun.
Speaker 5 (25:21):
The revenge campaign.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
Women hasn't been expectable.
Speaker 12 (25:24):
Right now, the back of his head, he was unhinged,
and I think understandably so. Brad was his body. You know,
they were close on the team, so Rumen was going
after anyone that he could and are.
Speaker 8 (25:36):
Going over toward the bench. It is happening the guy
on the bench and are just chased half for him.
And well there is the Danburry ice area.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And it's not just Rumen who's fighting for Brad's honor.
All the Trashes are hungry for vengeance.
Speaker 12 (25:52):
The team came out in the next period. It was
a completely different game. Oh we're gonna have a live
wrong here. It was just fight after by Calvin. Its
theater going at it complete gong show.
Speaker 7 (26:03):
Got a big pile up along the air wing game
Linds when they're coming in to submarine.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
In a bizarre and violent game, the Trashes are handed
are whopping eighteen penalties, with four big fights, five goals
and one big win for the team. The Nigerian Nightmare
is suspended for twenty games.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
Good night at Merry Christmas, everybody, Happy Holidays from the
Danbury Trashers.
Speaker 7 (26:31):
Good night.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
The game has wrapped up, but the drama's not over.
Jimmy's raging.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
He thinks the game officials could have avoided the alleged
slufot if they'd called the foul play earlier. Jimmy wanted
the game to stop right after Brad was taken off
the ice. He's been yelling at the linesman and the
ref for most of the game, and the linesman, Jim Harper,
has just about had enough of it. What happens next,
(27:00):
well that's not exactly clear. Some kind of confrontation between
Harper and Jimmy's taking place. The men are surrounded by
a crowd of officials. Commentator Phil Jubileo has the best
view of the rink from his booth, even he's having
trouble making out what's happening down there.
Speaker 12 (27:18):
All I really see is this kind of like massive
humanity around the penalty box stores. There was a confrontation
going on, but because there were so many people and
you can't really hear what's being said, you don't know
the exact course of events.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
It becomes a bit clearer when the local cops join
this massive humanity, and as people start to break away
from the huddle, Phil can make out Jimmy Galante, now
in handcuffs, being led away from the scene. He's escorted
out of the arena and into a waiting police car
at the local precinct. He's charged for punching Jim Harper
(27:54):
in the mouth, because a punch up between an owner
and alignsman that isn't the kind of violence that Hockey allows.
In fact, that's third degree assault, meaning ex con Jimmy
Galante is looking at yet more prison time.
Speaker 7 (28:09):
For now.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
He spends the night in a jail cell.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
The following day over at the hospital, Brad's laid up
in bed, his legs in plaster now filled with metal
rods and pins. He's about to doze off when some
visitors knock at the door.
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Yeah, Jimmy and a couple of buddies.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Jimmy has been released from his cell on the condition
that he makes a court appearance next week.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
But he's not alone.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Two enormous guys follow Jimmy into the room and they
haven't come empty handed.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
They brought me a present in there.
Speaker 5 (28:44):
Flowers, balloons, they get well soon card.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
No.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
According to Brad, this was a very personal gift.
Speaker 6 (28:52):
It was Josh Elzinger's address, and he said, what do
we want to do about this?
Speaker 2 (28:59):
I was like, oh boy, oh boy, indeed, what exactly
is Jimmy offering here? What would a nice guy like Brad,
possibly one with the address of the man who maimed him?
And why have these two enormous gentlemen accompanied Jimmy to
the hospital?
Speaker 6 (29:17):
Best gift I ever had offered to me in the.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Hospital, Brad politely declines, it was far.
Speaker 6 (29:23):
From my mind. I was doped up and laying in
a hospital bed. I was fixed on getting back to health.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
And so Jimmy and his two burly buddies leave Brad
to the more pressing issue of his recovery.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
Jimmy's got his own pressing issues to deal with.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Not only is the Trash's fan favorite out of action,
but having punched an official in the face, Jimmy could
soon be.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Out of action too. He's got to find a way
to fix things.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
He gets on the phone to one of his most
trusted employees, a guy called ciro Viento.
Speaker 14 (30:00):
I need you to do me a favor today. Do
you have Burucel's number on you in my phone?
Speaker 6 (30:04):
Yep?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Always zero is Jimmy's operation manager at the trash Company.
Speaker 14 (30:09):
I need to call Richard.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Yes, sir Richard, as in UHL Commissioner Richard Brissell.
Speaker 14 (30:16):
I want to kill Richard. Jimmy asked me to call you,
But Jimmy didn't ask me to call you. Jimmy wants
to be in a position to protect you that you
never had this conversation with Jimmy. Do you follow me?
And he'll say, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Jimmy has the off the record instructions. He wants Brissel
to use his influence to help make him make this
whole assault issue disappear. As the commissioner of the UHL,
Broussel is basically the boss of Jimmy's alleged assault victim,
linesman Jim Harper. Could Brissel get Harper to drop the charges?
(30:50):
Might the linesman be persuaded into contacting the courts and
amending his statement about the assault, I mean alleged assault?
Speaker 14 (30:58):
Tell him? Did it is fucking interrit that we get
that letter? Harper's going to write to Brussel saying, I
call the Connecticut prosecutor and I told him that I
wanted to drop the case. I told him that, after
you know, cooling off and thinking about it for a
(31:20):
few days, that I was just as much at fault.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
The letter has to be convincing. Luckily, Jimmy knows exactly
what it should say.
Speaker 14 (31:30):
When the incident took place, there was pushing and shoving
and peaceful in the penalty box. And I can't be
sure now whether mister Gland he hit me or didn't
hit me, or was somebody else. They can't say that
the guy just made it up in light just to
have me arrested, not a guy cooled off and he
doesn't remember, He doesn't.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
Know, absolutely.
Speaker 7 (31:53):
Zero.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Gets off the call with Jimmy and what happens next well,
a few days later, ESPN reports.
Speaker 5 (32:01):
That linesman Jim Harper no longer wants to press charges.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
To quote ESPN, the linesman changed his mind. Jimmy's no
longer looking at jail time for the alleged assault.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
He's won this.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Specific battle, but of course he has no idea that
his calls and the calls of his associates are being
recorded in blissful ignorance. By the end of the first
week of December, Jimmy's back to work thinking about how
to get the Trashes on a winning streak now that
Brad Wingfield's injured. It's not going to be easy, but hey,
(32:39):
it's the perfect challenge for a team of underdogs, and
AJ's got a plan that might just help his team
bite back. A hockey hero has unexpectedly become available for hire.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
He might be interested. Oh my god, that would be
you know, crazy, you know, one of those magical things
that could happen.
Speaker 9 (32:59):
I was like Colin's second, like, this is your team?
What the hell? Like, how do you have a kid
running a team?
Speaker 5 (33:06):
Here, a hero who's about to come down to earth
with a bump?
Speaker 9 (33:12):
What do you mean he wants to pay me cash?
Like he wants to give you a duffel bag of cash?
Speaker 6 (33:19):
Like what?
Speaker 9 (33:20):
And he referred to Jimmy as you know, they've got
Tony Soprano running their team.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
That's next time on The Fighting Pucks. The Fighting Pucks
(33:52):
is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio. For more from Novel,
visit novel dot Audio. The series is hosted by me
Claire Crofton and produced by me Joe Wheeler and Amalia Sortland.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
The executive producer is David Waters.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Story editing from Max O'Brien, Mitherleie Raus and Austin Mitchell.
Our field producer is Babette Thomas. Our fat checker is
Darnia Suleiman. Our hockey sensitivity reader is Nikhil Dessais. Production
management from Scharie Houston and Charlotte Wolfe. Sound design, mixing
(34:31):
and scoring by Nicholas Alexander, Additional engineering by Daniel Kempson,
Music supervision by Nicholas Alexander and David Waters. Original music
composed by Eric Phillips. Willard Foxton is Creative Director of Development.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
Special thanks to.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Sean Glynn, Katrina Novelle, David Vassman, Sean ty Tone and
beth Anne Macaluso
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Novel
Novel.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
When I visited Danbrie, I asked Aj Galante to show
me a place he spent a lot of his teenage years.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Can you describe where we're walking?
Speaker 4 (00:21):
Yeah, this is basically the lacker.
Speaker 5 (00:22):
Room area, the Danbrie Trasha's former locker room. If I
want to check that it's.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Getting changed before I go in there, it could be
very awkward.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (00:34):
Cool.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
A different team share this locker room today.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
And the stench of wet dog and sweat smells foul
to me, but it hits Aj with a wave of nostalgia.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
Oh yeah, it smells a good wet dog in here.
That's disgusting. Yeah, this is a fresh batch of sweating.
Speaker 6 (00:51):
Here.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
He's transported back to two thousand and four, to the
days of juggling academic assignments with running a hockey team.
Speaker 6 (01:00):
This was it. This was where all guys were.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
So this was the main locker.
Speaker 6 (01:05):
Room area here.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
You still see the blue right here, And we used
to have a trasher carpet in the middle.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
And my dad built up by the time the Trashers
were up and playing. In October two thousand and four,
he'd graduated high school and taken up a place at
nearby college. He'd spend the weekdays studying business management and
then head back to Danbury on the weekends for his
well unusual side hustle managing a professional sports team. And
it was in this stinky locker room that AJ built
(01:31):
a relationship with his players.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
The reality was, I can't come as an authority figure
to them because they're never going to take me serious.
I'm younger than all these guys, so I tried to
gain their respect in other ways.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
In a little office next to the locker room, AJ
would get down to his presidential duties, working out the
next moves for his team, who to.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
Recruit, who to trade.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
It wasn't easy to keep his mind on the job
with a bunch of rowdy hockey players next door.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
In a weird way, I was like everyone's little brother.
They'd be coming in messing with me. Usually this was
the time I try to get some homework done before
the games, but I'd always end up playing video games
with them or something.
Speaker 5 (02:14):
AJ walks me out of the locker room into the corridor.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Doesn't look like much blue nylon carpet, gray walls.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Twenty minutes before the guys would go out to the
rink to play. We'd walk this carpet and we'd stand
right here.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Sometimes Jimmy would lead the pregame ritual, unusual for a
team owner.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
My dad would talk to the team before each game,
you know, little pet talk or whatever. Guys would clap
after and you go down these steps.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
The trashers would walk along this corridor and down a
stairway to a pair of heavy metal doors, onto the
icy battlefield, and when it was over, when or lose,
they'd retreat, tired and sweaty, back to the locker room
to get some honest feedback from.
Speaker 6 (02:59):
Their if we won the game.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It was a great atmosphere, happy players, happy owners. The
sweet smell of sweat and victory filled the air. That
was the mood after the Trash has successful opening night.
Speaker 5 (03:16):
But very soon the smell turned sour.
Speaker 7 (03:19):
The Danbury trailing five to two and we got the medium.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
It wasn't long.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Before the Trash has started losing. In their second ever game,
they lost to the Almira Jackals five.
Speaker 7 (03:30):
Two, Danbury Sails here.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Before October was over, they'd lost another three times.
Speaker 8 (03:37):
Well, they have lost both of their games against each
cur Division teams. Danbury will look to step up their
efforts in that department.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
You can't win every game, right, but the Galantes do
not like to lose, especially Jimmy.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
He's fuming.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
My dad was mad. There's a lot of ways that
could have went wrong for you, you.
Speaker 6 (03:59):
Know, depending.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
As soon as the trash is leave the ice to
get changed, he marches out of his owner's box and
down to the team locker room and he's.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Ripping the team. He's ripping all you guys playing like
girls out there, you know, blah blah blah, blah blah.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
Jimmy grabs a bag of tennis balls.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Off a locker room floor and I'm looking at him like, Okay,
this is weird. What the hell is he doing? He
goes for all you guys out there that don't have
a set of balls, here they are.
Speaker 5 (04:25):
Jimmy rips open the bag and.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
He throws them. I'll never forget it because I wanted
to almost laugh, but you have to bite your tongue
so hard to his point where you're bleeding, because I'd
be like, if he sees me laugh, he's gonna slap
me in the face.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
The players are shocked, but not Aj. He's had eighteen
years to learn that all important lesson.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
You do not fuck with Jimmy Galante.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
If we weren't performing, it was hell to pay for sure.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Jimmy won't tolerate any more losses. AJ needs help and
he knows who to.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Turn to.
Speaker 9 (05:01):
That I know a lot of tricks that the trade.
Yet did I bring my trick bag with me? Yeah?
Effort wins over talent every night.
Speaker 7 (05:08):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Former coach and all round hockey bad boy T Bone Pompoicello,
he'd already helped the Galantes put the team together. Now
he's on hand to help give the trash as an edge,
testing the limits of the law to win.
Speaker 9 (05:24):
It wasn't hurt anybody. It was to get the advantage.
But it's more of a mind game at that level.
Even though it's professional, you know, you still can mind fuck.
And that's what we did every night.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
I'm Claire Crofton from the teams at Novel and iHeartRadio.
This is the fighty Pups Game, four Dirty Tricks.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
Thomas T.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Bone Pompacello had helped AJ harness his bad boys style
of hockey. Then he helped the Trashers sign some of
their toughest players like Brad Wingfield. So when The Trash
has kicked off their debut season and started losing. It's
no surprise that aj cigar smoking rule breaking sense was
on hand to help jump start their season. T Bone
(06:33):
joins The Trash's ranks. His official title equipment manager. His
duties include, well, at first, he's a bit evasive about that.
Speaker 9 (06:43):
We took simple things and turned it into advantages. We
took people's hearts and I'm just avoiding your question. I
don't know if you see that. I can see that.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yeah, but it doesn't take long to get t Bone talking.
In fact, it seems like he can't wait to tell
me about the very important role he played.
Speaker 9 (07:03):
Of course, I knew a lot of different tricks. One was,
you know, washing the jerseys and Crisco and the other
team couldn't get a handle on it to hold on
to fight.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
If you're not familiar with Crisco, it's not laundry detergent,
it's oil. And when you're trying to batter someone in
the middle of a hockey game, the last thing you
want is an oiled up rival.
Speaker 9 (07:24):
It was like fighting a guy with no shirt on.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
T Bone's dark arts are not restricted to the rink.
The man is committed. The night before one home game,
he drives through a snowstorm to the outskirts of town,
where he books himself into a hotel.
Speaker 9 (07:43):
There was a host hotel that took care of the
visiting teams, and they were scheduled to arrive at twelve
thirty one o'clock and I was already checked into the hotel.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
T Bone gets settled in for the night. He's up
early the next morning, thirty am to be precise. He
sneaks out of his room and creeps through the hotel
corridor towards the fire alarm. T Bone dashes back into
(08:14):
his room, which happens to have an excellent view over
the hotel parking lot.
Speaker 9 (08:20):
I'm looking at the window through the crack, and there
it is the whole other team standing out there and
their you know, their pajamas and their shorts and stuff.
The fire department was there and the front desk was
involved with it.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
The next day, the Trashes have a much easier game
against their sleep deprived opposition.
Speaker 9 (08:38):
There they were next morning at the rink. They're like, yo,
we will fire on one off with like no way. Wow,
They're like yeah, they kept us in the parking lot.
For an hour. You know, sleep is important to hockey
players and rest.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
As the two thousand and four season continues, t Bone's
tactics seem to be working.
Speaker 7 (08:56):
Ever Trasher their recent on Deep Street. They are four oh.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
In one in their last fly A game in November.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
The trash has hit a winning streak, bulldozing the Adi
Rondack Frostbite before destroying the New York based team Almira
and making the Richmond RiverDogs. How after destroying them for two.
Speaker 7 (09:14):
Every trashers at what grace rate they are?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
But t Bone and AJ are just getting warmed up
with their fishy tactics.
Speaker 9 (09:22):
Literally allegedly, I like to use that word. Allegedly, AJ
and I went to the fish market.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Allegedly AJ's dressed in a sweatsuit, t Bone in a
Trasher's team jacket. These two don't exactly look like they're
planning on fileting a seaburs anytime soon.
Speaker 9 (09:43):
We're just giggling the whole time. He was like, my kid, brother,
you're punching each other trying to figure out what fish,
how big.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
The fishmonger looks at these two guys in their sports clothes,
not his usual cli intel.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
And what they're asking for is a little unusual.
Speaker 9 (09:58):
Too, are smelling fish and what goes bad the fastest.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
After they've paid for their fish, T Bone and AJ
make their way over to the arena and park up.
Speaker 5 (10:08):
Outside in the car.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
T Bone lights up one of his signature cigars and
puffs away until they see the last person lock up
and leave. By this point, the carrier bags of fish
in the boot of T Bone's car have developed quite
the stench. Under the cover of darkness, the pair creep
towards the arena. T Bone produces a key cigar. Smoke
(10:39):
trails behind them As they make their way to the
opposing team's locker room. AJ turns the heat up and
takes hold of the stinking bags.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
T Bone gives him a.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Leg up so he can reach the ceiling. The vent
comes loose and AJ that's what he's come.
Speaker 9 (10:57):
Here to do, shove a headshit at the vents and
the thing was falling on my face. Classic. It was
just classic.
Speaker 8 (11:07):
Hello everybody, and welcome to the Danbury ai S Arena.
I'm Filgibalo and this is the first of two a
weekend series against the visiting Flint General.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
A few days after T Bone and AJ's little adventure
to the fish market. The Flint Generals roll into town
rumor has it. Their players head into the ice arena,
and as they get to the locker room, the smell
of rancid fish overwhelms them.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
Players double over and begin to wretch.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
It can't have been easy getting kitted up whilst trying
to keep down the vomit. But somehow the Generals get
out on the ice. No doubt, the Trashes have the
edge of their green faced rivals allegedly yep, sorry t bone,
allegedly green faced rivals.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
But as the hockey sense himself puts it.
Speaker 9 (11:54):
The little things matter and that's how you win.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
Maybe he's onto something.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Obury dominated, the Trash has beat the Generals two to one,
and then the following night they do it all over again,
this time coming out with a three to two victory
the second time, now a fine margin in both games.
Maybe the Fish bench gave them the edge. Did you
ever worry that like you were cheating?
Speaker 9 (12:20):
No, cheating is like on a test that was guerrilla
warfare at its highest. I know in my heart it
was done to win, and I said, fuck it, I'm
just going to do all we have to do. To
win and have fun doing it. Yeah, whatever means necessary.
If you're committed, you'll nail your boss to the wall
(12:40):
to win.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Just two months into their first season, the Trashers are.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
Earning themselves a reputation.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Other teams in the UHL are beginning to understand that
when Aj and Jimmy described their team as the bad
Boys of hockey, it wasn't just a marketing ploy.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
These guys are for real. Games in Danbury are wild.
Speaker 7 (13:03):
Wow, now we've got to actually going on.
Speaker 8 (13:06):
Everyone just pushing it, shoving big upper cuts here at
the Deanery Ice, browniest fans of pro hockey.
Speaker 10 (13:18):
Like I said to myself, Okay, well, come to the jungle.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
David Fighter.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Dill grew up playing hockey in the Czech Republic, but
by November two thousand and four he was getting settled
into the US hockey scene. He played for the ADI
Rundack Frostbite, and it was in those games against the
Trashes that David fully experienced the meaning of the word goon.
Speaker 10 (13:39):
Basically, they called the guys who the job for them
is really only go on the ice and fight.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
And how many did the Trashes have?
Speaker 9 (13:47):
Initially in the beginning, I would say for squad.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
A full squad of goons.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
So, along with everyone else who ever played against the Trashes,
David was on the rec end of some serious scoonery.
Speaker 10 (14:02):
They were not interested in playing hockey. Let's put it
this way. They wanted to put a show on the ice.
So they were going absolutely nuts. It was not about hockey.
It was about trying to scare us. Guys got cheap shots,
guys got soccer punched, and it was the same every game.
Nothing pretty, nothing fair, absolutely not. If there is a
(14:25):
need for the fight, that is absolutely no problem. But
is there a need for the fight every shift? I
don't think so. You felt like, Okay, I'm not sure
that's what I sign up for and that's what I
want to do.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
But this is hockey. Buying is part of the game.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Players on the rival teams have no intention of backing
down when things get tough.
Speaker 10 (14:46):
Many of the guys took it as a challenge. I
saw guys working out extra, I saw guys getting bigger, stronger,
myself included. They thought we're gonna be intimidated. We said, okay,
if that's what we're gonna face done, that's where we're
going to face.
Speaker 7 (15:04):
Time out for a look at the United Hockey League
score more the game.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
By the end of November two thousand and four, a
quarter of the way through their first season, the Trash
has fought their way to the top of the toughest
division in the league, with a two point lead over
David's team that added Rundack Frostbite.
Speaker 8 (15:20):
The Danbury Trashers, of course, having a stellar season first place.
Speaker 7 (15:24):
In the East.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
The Trashers have bagged a seven game winning streak. They're
feeling invincible.
Speaker 8 (15:30):
But Danbury really looking for a test.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
A test, and they're about to get one because by now,
rifle players have caught onto the Trash's style and worked
out how to combat it.
Speaker 10 (15:43):
We knew what's coming and we were ready.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Game after game of pushing their opponents to the limits
with dirty tricks and brutal play, the opposition are about
to fight fire with fire, and the Trashers are about
to discover their own breaking point.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
More after the break.
Speaker 11 (16:20):
Hey trash Ers Vans, your holiday list won't be complete
this year without a trip to the Trashers team shop.
From sweatshirts to clocks, ticket to riven and stuff scrappy.
The Danvery Trashers Team shop has something for everyone this
holiday season. So whether that fan on your list has
been naughty or nice, it's not by the team shop
at the Danbury Ice Arena to pick up that perfect
Trashuers get and happy holiday. It's from the Danbury Trashers
(16:42):
Eat Sassus.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
It's December first, two thousand and four, and the holiday
season is here. The festive chair in Danbury has a
fresh flavor this year. The city is celebrating its new
hockey team. Since their debut in October, the Trashers have
bought night after night of entertainment downtown. Finally there's something
to see in Danbury. Fights galore, suspensions, penalty minutes, Nights
(17:15):
on the ice arena are action packed, and the surrounding
bars and restaurants are pumping. The team hasn't just been
putting on a good show.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
The Trashers have been on a winning streak, but tonight's
game is vital.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Those losses earlier in the season, I mean they need
to keep on winning if they stand a chance of
bagging the Colonial Cup.
Speaker 8 (17:39):
And good evening, everybody, Welcome to the Danbury Ice Arena.
Speaker 7 (17:42):
This is Danbury Trashuer's Hockey.
Speaker 8 (17:44):
Bilgi Bolaya, wishing you guys a merry Christmas, Happy Honeka,
happy Holidays.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Tonight, the Trashes are up against a way more experienced team,
the Kalamazoo Wings.
Speaker 8 (17:55):
The Kalamazoo Wings about to face off here momentarily as.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Fans take their seats, the atmosphere is tense, but when
the referee drops the puck, the Trashers.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
Don't exactly seem worried.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
I mean, what's experienced when you're the self proclaimed bad
boys of hockey? Right, Brad Wingfield, the team's staff fighter,
is straight in on the action, attacking the Kalamazoo players.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Business as usual.
Speaker 8 (18:23):
Coming up by Brad Wingfield hooking, he will go to
the box of the games first palty.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
And Brad is more than just a fighter.
Speaker 7 (18:31):
There's Redski up the near win two on one for
the live from.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
The high slat patching it bro what high they starve?
Speaker 7 (18:36):
Brad like well takes the pain from bread. Bret's good Danbury.
Where they come in, they bring all.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
Things couldn't be going better.
Speaker 9 (18:45):
But then.
Speaker 12 (18:47):
I just heard kind of like a general grown from
the crowd, and then just like brutal screaming.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Two players have collided on the ice, nothing unusual, but
even from way up. In his commentary booth, commentator Filled
Jubileo consents that something is different this time.
Speaker 12 (19:10):
And I saw that Brad Wingfield was down on the ice.
Speaker 8 (19:12):
Wingfield is pulled down and he is a bit slow
getting up, and he is a sub serious pain ride down.
Speaker 12 (19:19):
I never heard just guttural moans of that nature in
my life, like you shot an animal and you know
it's just moaning because it's in such pain. It's a
primal scream.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
The play has stopped. In the crowd, eyes of wide,
mouths open. No one can believe what they're seeing.
Speaker 12 (19:41):
Brad on his back, kind of rolling around with his
leg kind of up in the air. The crowd was
just hushed, silent. You could hear a pin drop.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
Fans want to know why their favorite player is writhing
around in pain. All Phil can do is fill the silence.
Speaker 13 (19:58):
Wakefield is a serious pain ride now on a swat
on the caliber zooland wondering if he didn't have his
light stepped on by a skate that.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Might have been in e medic rushes onto the ice and.
Speaker 7 (20:08):
The doctor is coming on for Danbury. That's never a
good side.
Speaker 13 (20:12):
But right now, it is an issue of just trying
to stabilize Brad Wingfield do is writhing in severe agony.
Speaker 7 (20:19):
Wingfield is plushing on to Danbury trainer her dear life.
Speaker 13 (20:23):
It seems a rough spot for the trash is to be,
and both teams are back at their respective benches.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
All Phil can do is state the obvious.
Speaker 7 (20:34):
This is not very good or the Danbury trashures.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
From his elevated position, it's not clear to Phil just
how bad this is, but to the players down on
the ice, it's obvious that Brad's injury is catastrophic.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
It was like the loudest crack. It was like echoing
through the arena.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Trasha Jeff State was skating past when Brad went down.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
I'll never forget the look on his face of just
like sheer terror. He was like crying out for help.
He made it to like his hands and knees, and
then he was just looking up like his mouth was
wide open and he's just his like eyes were like
super wide and he was just yelling out. I don't
think he knew what was going on.
Speaker 6 (21:21):
It was ugly.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Jeff saw Brad flying backwards over the skate of rival.
Speaker 5 (21:27):
Player Josh Elzinger.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
He says, Josh pulled one of the most painous moves
in the book of band hockey moves, something called a
slew foot.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
Add that to your hockey glossary.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
You stick one of your legs behind their leg and
then you take your arm and push their chest backwards
and you push your leg forwards at the same time,
so it kind of contorts the body backwards. It takes
you off balance and like throws you backward.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Josh Elzinger didn't respond to my requests for an interview,
so I don't know what his intentions were. Did he
mean to send Brad Wingfield crashing onto the ice. Maybe
it was just an accident, or maybe Josh had had
enough of the trash's antics and he snapped. Either way,
I'm pretty sure Josh didn't anticipate what would happen next.
(22:23):
From his owner's box, Jimmy Galante has been looking on
as his whole drama unravels.
Speaker 12 (22:30):
Jimmy was pretty upset. He was yelling down at the officials,
chying to like confront the linesman, probably for missing it.
Missing the call from high up.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
On his commentator's platform, Phil can see Jimmy on his feet,
yelling towards the ice. His face twisted with rage as
he watched his Brad get carried away by the medics.
Speaker 13 (22:49):
Reds, we're coming out and they're going to take Winfield
off that way. Does not appear that he is going
to be skating off under his own power.
Speaker 6 (22:56):
Here.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
As they bring the boarding, Alzinger is sent to the
but for Jimmy, the punishment doesn't.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
Come close to justice. He's furious and now his anger
is not just focused on Elzinger, but the game.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
Officials, and one of them alignsman by the name of
Jim Harper, beckons Jimmy down to the ice.
Speaker 5 (23:15):
He wants to fight it out.
Speaker 6 (23:20):
More.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
After the break, Trash's tough guy, Brad Wingfield is doped
up on morphine. He's lying on the ambulance bed, racing
(23:43):
through Danbury at lightning speed.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
You go in and out of shock, right like your
foot's supposed to be pointing up like that and it's down.
You can feel the bones scraping against each other or
you're insides or whatever.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
Brad doesn't know it yet, but his leg is broken
in three places.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
It's extremely painful having your legs shattered like that.
Speaker 5 (24:08):
This might well be a career ending injury.
Speaker 6 (24:12):
You're like, yeah, this could be it, This could definitely
be it could be all over here.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
As I drive towards the hospital at top speed, not
even the morphine can keep the agony at bay.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
It's painful, always hidden every bump because your bones just
rubbed together. I can remember yelling at the ambulance driver
that if he hit another fucking pothole, I was kinda dummium.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
The ambulance arrives at Danbury Hospital, Brad is loaded onto
a trolley. He's rushed into the er, passing a group
of hospital stuff huddled around radio.
Speaker 5 (24:50):
The Trashes are back on the ice and back on
the airwaves.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
As the distant sounds of his team float through the hospital,
Brad slips in and out of morphine induced unconsciousness with
a smile on his face.
Speaker 5 (25:11):
Women back on the ice.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Brad's teammate, Ruman Nadu aka the Nigerian Nightmare, has already begun.
Speaker 5 (25:21):
The revenge campaign.
Speaker 7 (25:23):
Women hasn't been expectable.
Speaker 12 (25:24):
Right now, the back of his head, he was unhinged,
and I think understandably so. Brad was his body. You know,
they were close on the team, so Rumen was going
after anyone that he could and are.
Speaker 8 (25:36):
Going over toward the bench. It is happening the guy
on the bench and are just chased half for him.
And well there is the Danburry ice area.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
And it's not just Rumen who's fighting for Brad's honor.
All the Trashes are hungry for vengeance.
Speaker 12 (25:52):
The team came out in the next period. It was
a completely different game. Oh we're gonna have a live
wrong here. It was just fight after by Calvin. Its
theater going at it complete gong show.
Speaker 7 (26:03):
Got a big pile up along the air wing game
Linds when they're coming in to submarine.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
In a bizarre and violent game, the Trashes are handed
are whopping eighteen penalties, with four big fights, five goals
and one big win for the team. The Nigerian Nightmare
is suspended for twenty games.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
Good night at Merry Christmas, everybody, Happy Holidays from the
Danbury Trashers.
Speaker 7 (26:31):
Good night.
Speaker 5 (26:34):
The game has wrapped up, but the drama's not over.
Jimmy's raging.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
He thinks the game officials could have avoided the alleged
slufot if they'd called the foul play earlier. Jimmy wanted
the game to stop right after Brad was taken off
the ice. He's been yelling at the linesman and the
ref for most of the game, and the linesman, Jim Harper,
has just about had enough of it. What happens next,
(27:00):
well that's not exactly clear. Some kind of confrontation between
Harper and Jimmy's taking place. The men are surrounded by
a crowd of officials. Commentator Phil Jubileo has the best
view of the rink from his booth, even he's having
trouble making out what's happening down there.
Speaker 12 (27:18):
All I really see is this kind of like massive
humanity around the penalty box stores. There was a confrontation
going on, but because there were so many people and
you can't really hear what's being said, you don't know
the exact course of events.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
It becomes a bit clearer when the local cops join
this massive humanity, and as people start to break away
from the huddle, Phil can make out Jimmy Galante, now
in handcuffs, being led away from the scene. He's escorted
out of the arena and into a waiting police car
at the local precinct. He's charged for punching Jim Harper
(27:54):
in the mouth, because a punch up between an owner
and alignsman that isn't the kind of violence that Hockey allows.
In fact, that's third degree assault, meaning ex con Jimmy
Galante is looking at yet more prison time.
Speaker 7 (28:09):
For now.
Speaker 5 (28:10):
He spends the night in a jail cell.
Speaker 2 (28:15):
The following day over at the hospital, Brad's laid up
in bed, his legs in plaster now filled with metal
rods and pins. He's about to doze off when some
visitors knock at the door.
Speaker 6 (28:27):
Yeah, Jimmy and a couple of buddies.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Jimmy has been released from his cell on the condition
that he makes a court appearance next week.
Speaker 5 (28:35):
But he's not alone.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Two enormous guys follow Jimmy into the room and they
haven't come empty handed.
Speaker 6 (28:42):
They brought me a present in there.
Speaker 5 (28:44):
Flowers, balloons, they get well soon card.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
No.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
According to Brad, this was a very personal gift.
Speaker 6 (28:52):
It was Josh Elzinger's address, and he said, what do
we want to do about this?
Speaker 2 (28:59):
I was like, oh boy, oh boy, indeed, what exactly
is Jimmy offering here? What would a nice guy like Brad,
possibly one with the address of the man who maimed him?
And why have these two enormous gentlemen accompanied Jimmy to
the hospital?
Speaker 6 (29:17):
Best gift I ever had offered to me in the.
Speaker 5 (29:19):
Hospital, Brad politely declines, it was far.
Speaker 6 (29:23):
From my mind. I was doped up and laying in
a hospital bed. I was fixed on getting back to health.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
And so Jimmy and his two burly buddies leave Brad
to the more pressing issue of his recovery.
Speaker 5 (29:35):
Jimmy's got his own pressing issues to deal with.
Speaker 2 (29:37):
Not only is the Trash's fan favorite out of action,
but having punched an official in the face, Jimmy could
soon be.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Out of action too. He's got to find a way
to fix things.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
He gets on the phone to one of his most
trusted employees, a guy called ciro Viento.
Speaker 14 (30:00):
I need you to do me a favor today. Do
you have Burucel's number on you in my phone?
Speaker 6 (30:04):
Yep?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Always zero is Jimmy's operation manager at the trash Company.
Speaker 14 (30:09):
I need to call Richard.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Yes, sir Richard, as in UHL Commissioner Richard Brissell.
Speaker 14 (30:16):
I want to kill Richard. Jimmy asked me to call you,
But Jimmy didn't ask me to call you. Jimmy wants
to be in a position to protect you that you
never had this conversation with Jimmy. Do you follow me?
And he'll say, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
Jimmy has the off the record instructions. He wants Brissel
to use his influence to help make him make this
whole assault issue disappear. As the commissioner of the UHL,
Broussel is basically the boss of Jimmy's alleged assault victim,
linesman Jim Harper. Could Brissel get Harper to drop the charges?
(30:50):
Might the linesman be persuaded into contacting the courts and
amending his statement about the assault, I mean alleged assault?
Speaker 14 (30:58):
Tell him? Did it is fucking interrit that we get
that letter? Harper's going to write to Brussel saying, I
call the Connecticut prosecutor and I told him that I
wanted to drop the case. I told him that, after
you know, cooling off and thinking about it for a
(31:20):
few days, that I was just as much at fault.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
The letter has to be convincing. Luckily, Jimmy knows exactly
what it should say.
Speaker 14 (31:30):
When the incident took place, there was pushing and shoving
and peaceful in the penalty box. And I can't be
sure now whether mister Gland he hit me or didn't
hit me, or was somebody else. They can't say that
the guy just made it up in light just to
have me arrested, not a guy cooled off and he
doesn't remember, He doesn't.
Speaker 6 (31:50):
Know, absolutely.
Speaker 7 (31:53):
Zero.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
Gets off the call with Jimmy and what happens next well,
a few days later, ESPN reports.
Speaker 5 (32:01):
That linesman Jim Harper no longer wants to press charges.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
To quote ESPN, the linesman changed his mind. Jimmy's no
longer looking at jail time for the alleged assault.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
He's won this.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Specific battle, but of course he has no idea that
his calls and the calls of his associates are being
recorded in blissful ignorance. By the end of the first
week of December, Jimmy's back to work thinking about how
to get the Trashes on a winning streak now that
Brad Wingfield's injured. It's not going to be easy, but hey,
(32:39):
it's the perfect challenge for a team of underdogs, and
AJ's got a plan that might just help his team
bite back. A hockey hero has unexpectedly become available for hire.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
He might be interested. Oh my god, that would be
you know, crazy, you know, one of those magical things
that could happen.
Speaker 9 (32:59):
I was like Colin's second, like, this is your team?
What the hell? Like, how do you have a kid
running a team?
Speaker 5 (33:06):
Here, a hero who's about to come down to earth
with a bump?
Speaker 9 (33:12):
What do you mean he wants to pay me cash?
Like he wants to give you a duffel bag of cash?
Speaker 6 (33:19):
Like what?
Speaker 9 (33:20):
And he referred to Jimmy as you know, they've got
Tony Soprano running their team.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
That's next time on The Fighting Pucks. The Fighting Pucks
(33:52):
is produced by Novel for iHeartRadio. For more from Novel,
visit novel dot Audio. The series is hosted by me
Claire Crofton and produced by me Joe Wheeler and Amalia Sortland.
Speaker 5 (34:06):
The executive producer is David Waters.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Story editing from Max O'Brien, Mitherleie Raus and Austin Mitchell.
Our field producer is Babette Thomas. Our fat checker is
Darnia Suleiman. Our hockey sensitivity reader is Nikhil Dessais. Production
management from Scharie Houston and Charlotte Wolfe. Sound design, mixing
(34:31):
and scoring by Nicholas Alexander, Additional engineering by Daniel Kempson,
Music supervision by Nicholas Alexander and David Waters. Original music
composed by Eric Phillips. Willard Foxton is Creative Director of Development.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
Special thanks to.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Sean Glynn, Katrina Novelle, David Vassman, Sean ty Tone and
beth Anne Macaluso
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Novel
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Monster: BTK
'Monster: BTK', the newest installment in the 'Monster' franchise, reveals the true story of the Wichita, Kansas serial killer who murdered at least 10 people between 1974 and 1991. Known by the moniker, BTK – Bind Torture Kill, his notoriety was bolstered by the taunting letters he sent to police, and the chilling phone calls he made to media outlets. BTK's identity was finally revealed in 2005 to the shock of his family, his community, and the world. He was the serial killer next door. From Tenderfoot TV & iHeartPodcasts, this is 'Monster: BTK'.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.