Battle of the Hockey Enforcers
The Battle of the Hockey Enforcers was a sporting event held in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, on August 29, 2005. It was the brainchild of Canadian promoter Darryl Wolski.
The event consisted of ice hockey enforcers fighting on the ice in full hockey gear, as sometimes seen in regular games. Like in the National Hockey League, no fighting on the ground was allowed; and the referees separated the fighters if the fight turned too one-sided. If a fight did not end in a referee stoppage, it was judged by a panel of hockey experts.
Songs by such artists as State of Shock, Seemless and Bruce Kulick were used as entrance themes.
Amy Hayes served as ring announcer.
The event was somewhat successful; the CN Centre was about 1/3 full, with 2000 spectators, but the pay per view sales have been reported to be encouraging.
A DVD of the show, entitled Hockey Enforcers: Black and Blue, was subsequently released by Video Service Corp.
The most famous participant was a former NHL player, Link Gaetz, but he had to withdraw after experiencing concussion-like symptoms after his first fight. The winner was Dean Mayrand from Windsor, Ontario, who plays for the Sorel-Tracy Mission in the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey. Mayrand defeated Mike Sgroi in the final round, receiving an award of $62,000.
Plans for a second show in April or May 2006 never materialized.
Participants
- Jason Bone
- Kent Carlson
- Link Gaetz
- Jamie Leinhos
- Dean Mayrand
- Eddie O'Toole
- Derek Parker
- Trent Potskin
- Chadd Radke
- Mark Raiter
- Steve Reid
- Jason Rushton
- Mike Sgroi
- Jason Simon