Combat sports-Ice Wars promises ‘prize fighting on ice’

Ice Wars fighter Daniel Amesbury of the Powell River Regals poses for an image in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, on this undated handout image obtained on April 20, 2022. Isaac Mocharski/through REUTERS

LOS ANGELES, April 21 (Reuters) – Upstart fight sports activities league “Ice Wars” will pit ice hockey enforcers towards one another in a rink subsequent month however as an alternative of scoring the puck, the purpose is to knock your opponent out chilly.

“I am calling it prize combating on ice as a result of on the finish of the day, there is no such thing as a hockey being performed,” Ice Wars president A.J. Galante informed Reuters.

“There aren’t any sticks, there aren’t any pucks, there aren’t any nets. So sure, it is full hockey gear and it’ll predominantly be present hockey gamers. Nevertheless it’s prize combating with a handbag on the road.”

As a teen, Galante’s father made him the final supervisor of the now-defunct Danbury Trashers, a minor league staff so violent and controversial that final yr it grew to become the topic of the Netflix documentary “Untold: Crime and Penalties”.

He moved on to boxing and mentioned the wave of curiosity in modern fight sports activities – all the pieces from naked knuckle boxing to pillow combating has grabbed headlines lately – led him to consider the time was proper to launch his ardour mission.

A bout will include two, one-minute rounds with a 30-second “ice breaker” within the occasion that the fighters cut up the rounds.

The fighters will put on 4-ounce MMA gloves and can’t deliberately take their opponent’s helmet off. But when it comes off as the results of an incredible punch, it is “recreation on,” mentioned Galante.

The idea dates again to the “Battle of the Hockey Enforcers”, an occasion that was held in British Columbia in 2005 and served as an inspiration for Ice Wars.

Ice warrior Daniel Amesbury mentioned he’s desperate to showcase his expertise.

“As loopy as it’d sound, that is one thing that I’ve all the time had behind my thoughts,” Amesbury mentioned.

“Six months in the past I used to be saying to my buddy that it is too unhealthy there is not some sport the place I can reap the benefits of this distinctive ability that I’ve.

“I do not know if I manifested it or what occurred, nevertheless it wasn’t a lot later that this ended up occurring and I am fired up.”

Whereas no Nationwide Hockey League (NHL) gamers are anticipated to take part, Amesbury is getting ready for stiff competitors from gamers who compete within the American Hockey League (AHL) in addition to mid-tier leagues just like the ECHL and LNAH.

He mentioned the size of the bouts will assure continuous motion.

“A mean hockey combat might be beneath 20 seconds,” he mentioned.

“So one minute is a protracted combat. It is a whole lot of motion. There’s going to be a whole lot of punches being thrown and there is going to be a whole lot of blood. It may be enjoyable, man.”

Ice Wars will debut with an eight-man ‘King of the Rink’ heavyweight match in Edmonton on Could 21 that will likely be streamed on FITE.

Modifying by Toby Davis

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