Tony Twist
| Tony Twist | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
May 9, 1968 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 |
NHL Draft |
177th overall, 1988 St. Louis Blues | ||||
| Playing career | 1989–1999 | |||||
Anthony Rory Twist (born May 9, 1968) is a Canadian former professional
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
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
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 | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1983–84 | Prince George Spruce Kings | PCJHL | 54 | 30 | 35 | 65 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Prince George Spruce Kings | PCJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Prince George Spruce Kings | PCJHL | 42 | 32 | 20 | 52 | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 64 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 181 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 55 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 226 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1988–89 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 67 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 312 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 124 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 200 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1990–91 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 38 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 244 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 164 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 34 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 49 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 28 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 89 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 51 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 100 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1996–97 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 64 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 121 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 60 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 105 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 63 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 149 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 445 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 1121 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 | ||||
| IHL totals | 334 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 756 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 38 | ||||
References
- ^ Legends of Hockey - Tony Twist
- ^ Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli comic book profile
- ^ Fields, Sarah K. (2016). Game Faces: Sport Celebrity and the Laws of Reputation. University of Illinois Press.
- ^ Calgary Herald, July 8, 2000, page 58
- ^ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 26, 1998, page 116
- ^ Welkowitz, David S.; Ochoa, Tyler T. (2010). Celebrity Rights: Rights of Publicity and Related Rights in the United States and Abroad. Carolina Academic Press.
- ^ "McFarlane need not pay Twist | CBC Sports".
- ^ Todd McFarlane Productions files for bankruptcy Archived June 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Appeals court upholds $15M verdict for Twist
- ^ Tony Twist and Todd McFarlane Settle Archived 2011-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Tony Twist and McFarlance: Over and Done With Archived February 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Twist, Tony (February 2020), Spittin' Chiclets Podcast Retrieved 14 March 2020
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Twister's Iron Bar Saloon