Jatkoajan edustajan osallistuminen on ylittänyt uutiskynnyksen myös TSN:n sivuilla:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=68917
"Finn the latest to join brawl
Canadian Press
1/20/2004
TORONTO (CP) - The Battle of Hockey Gladiators is going global with Finland's Jukka Suutari the latest tough guy to throw his name into the ring.
Suutari, 31, is the first European player on a growing list of pugilists, which includes several former NHL enforcers, who plan to take part in the made-for-TV event slated for this fall.
Promoter Darryl Wolski knows Suutari is not a household name _ he plays in a Finnish minor pro league Wolski compares to the ECHL - but says the Finnish tough guy is a nice addition to a list that includes Tony Twist, Kurt Walker and other former NHLers.
``We have Sasha Lakovic, he played for the Devils and the Flames, he's a big-name guy,'' Wolski said Tuesday in Toronto. ``We're also negotiating with guys like Link Gaetz, who's probably going to be confirmed fairly soon too, . . . former NHLer Craig Martin, who played for the Winnipeg Jets, those kind of names have also surfaced as well.''
Wolski, who operates a recreational league in Brandon, Man., essentially plans a 64-man lineup with tough guys who have experience playing in minor leagues and senior leagues.
Participants will dress in hockey gear and punch it out with the tournament winner taking home $50,000 US.
The rules call for the two fighters will meet at centre ice in full equipment, with two minutes to make an impression on the judges. Wolski plans to have eight judges in all with Dan (The Beast) Severn, a former pro wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter who banged heads on Ultimate Fighting Championship cards, already confirmed.
Wolski says Toronto and Quebec City are on the list of potential host cities, with Atlanta and St. Louis also being considered. He hopes to have the site firmed up by the weekend.
``On Thursday, the board of directors at the Ricoh (Coliseum) in Toronto are voting on it to decide if they would look at (holding) it here. We also have another wild card, which is the Colisee in Quebec City.''
Wolski says there are several factors that come into play when selecting a venue.
``Does it have good lighting, good sound, can we do video uplinks, what's the facility like, what are the dressing room facilities like? We have to think about all those different aspects,'' he said.
So far, Twist is the biggest confirmed name in the draw.
The Sherwood Park, Alta., native played 382 games with the Quebec Nordiques and St. Louis Blues. The six-foot-one, 220-pound winger had 1,121 penalty minutes over 10 NHL seasons.
Walker, a 200-pounder from Weymouth, Mass., had 142 penalty minutes in 71 regular-season NHL games with Toronto.
Lakovic played sporadically with New Jersey and Calgary over three NHL seasons, racking up 118 penalty minutes in 37 regular-season games.
Wolski says he recently met with Viewer's Choice and Bell ExpressVu to discuss plans for Canadian broadcast coverage, but nothing is firm just yet. Wolski says he also has meetings scheduled in the U.S., where he says interest is also high.
``All the pay-per-view people are very positive for it. They see it as something unique, brand new, something that they feel is going to get a lot of numbers,'' he said.
But not everyone is keen about the idea.
Calgary Flames president Ken King, Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson, former NHL tough guy Enrico Ciccone and current Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tie Domi have all either dismissed the idea or given it a thumbs down.
But Wolski isn't fazed.
``Hockey (ratings) numbers are down, so the owners and hockey as a whole shouldn't be too mad with us because I think we've garnered a lot of press, he said.
Wolski plans to hold the event this September, possibly on the Labour Day weekend."
