Tony Twist

Last updated
Tony Twist
Born (1968-05-09) May 9, 1968 (age 55)
Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Quebec Nordiques
St. Louis Blues
NHL Draft 177th overall, 1988
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1989–1999

Anthony Rory Twist (born May 9, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played left wing in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques between 1989 and 1999, and was a feared enforcer. Twist penned a foreword to the Ross Bernstein book The Code: The Unwritten Rules Of Fighting And Retaliation In The NHL. He also owned a chain of bars named Twister's Iron Bar Saloon, with locations in St. Charles and Imperial Missouri. Twist was co-host of the Smash and Twist show on 590 the Fan in St. Louis. Currently he owns and operates Missouri Windshield Repair and Replacement

Contents

Playing career

Twist was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, No. 177 overall. After skating with the Blues for the 1989–1990 season, he played four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques (later relocated to Colorado). Twist became a free agent in 1994 and returned to the Blues, playing there until July 1999, when he broke his pelvis in a motorcycle accident in St. Louis and was unable to resume his NHL career. [1] Known for his devastating punches, he battled many of the league's top enforcers during his career.

Lawsuit against Todd McFarlane

In the Spawn comic book series, Todd McFarlane created a mob enforcer character named Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli, [2] whom McFarlane acknowledged was named after Tony Twist. Twist learned about the character through his mother in British Columbia, who had a group of boys arrive to her house with Tony Twist-related Spawn items in 1997. [3] After this incident, Twist viewed the Spawn animated series that had earlier aired on HBO from May to June 1997, he subsequently remarked "I'm in pink thong underwear, smoking a cigar, ordering the kidnapping of a child while two women are naked on the couch making love to each other. I obviously didn't want any part of that. Even if I was a good guy I wouldn’t have participated. You’ve got kids being kidnapped, you’ve got nudity, you’ve got police raping women. It’s nothing I want to be affiliated with." [4] On October 31, 1997, Twist filed an anonymous John Doe lawsuit against Todd McFarlane Productions, and related parties such as HBO, for appropriation of his name without permission. [5] The lawsuit was filed anonymously in order to keep publicity surrounding it to a minimum.

He was initially awarded $24.5 million by a St. Louis, Missouri judge in 2000. Sean Phillips, a former executive of a sports nutrition company, testified for Twist, stating that he withdrew a $100,000 endorsement deal, only after learning about the despicable nature of the Tony Twist character. [6] However, the $24.5 million ruling would be reversed in November 2000, with McFarlane joking to journalists "He's got to return that yacht now." [7] The trial continued, and Twist later won $15 million in 2004 when a St. Louis jury found Todd McFarlane Productions had profited from Twist's likeness. [8] The verdict was upheld after two appeals in June 2006. [9] In 2007, Twist and McFarlane settled the lawsuit out of court for $5 million. [10] [11]

Twist reflected on the lawsuit in a 2020 interview, saying "I did not despise Todd in any way shape or form. Not at all. He thought this was a first amendment issue where he had the right to do whatever." [12]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1983–84 Prince George Spruce Kings PCJHL 54303565110—————
1984–85Prince George Spruce KingsPCJHL——————————
1985–86 Prince George Spruce Kings PCJHL 42322052162—————
1986–87 Saskatoon Blades WHL 64088181—————
1987–88 Saskatoon BladesWHL55189226101126
1988–89 Peoria Rivermen IHL 673811312—————
1989–90 St. Louis Blues NHL 28000124—————
1989–90 Peoria RivermenIHL3615620050228
1990–91 Quebec Nordiques NHL24000104—————
1990–91 Peoria RivermenIHL3821012244—————
1991–92 Quebec NordiquesNHL44011164—————
1992–93 Quebec NordiquesNHL3402264—————
1993–94 Quebec NordiquesNHL49044101—————
1994–95 St. Louis BluesNHL283038910006
1995–96 St. Louis BluesNHL513251001011216
1996–97 St. Louis BluesNHL6412312160000
1997–98 St. Louis BluesNHL60112105—————
1998–99 St. Louis BluesNHL6326814910000
NHL totals44510182811211811222
IHL totals33462329756501138

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References

  1. ↑ Legends of Hockey - Tony Twist
  2. ↑ Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli comic book profile
  3. ↑ Fields, Sarah K. (2016). Game Faces: Sport Celebrity and the Laws of Reputation. University of Illinois Press.
  4. ↑ Calgary Herald, July 8, 2000, page 58
  5. ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 26, 1998, page 116
  6. ↑ Welkowitz, David S.; Ochoa, Tyler T. (2010). Celebrity Rights: Rights of Publicity and Related Rights in the United States and Abroad. Carolina Academic Press.
  7. ↑ "McFarlane need not pay Twist | CBC Sports".
  8. ↑ Todd McFarlane Productions files for bankruptcy Archived June 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Appeals court upholds $15M verdict for Twist
  10. ↑ Tony Twist and Todd McFarlane Settle Archived 2011-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Tony Twist and McFarlance: Over and Done With Archived February 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Twist, Tony (February 2020), Spittin' Chiclets Podcast Retrieved 14 March 2020
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