Tony Twist
Encyclopedia
Anthony Rory Twist is a former professional ice hockey
player. He played left wing
in the NHL
for the St. Louis Blues
and Quebec Nordiques
, but was also a feared enforcer
. He now is a co-host in post-game shows after Blues games on Fox Sports Midwest. Twist recently 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 Ste. Genevieve
Missouri.
, #177 overall. After skating with the Blues for the 1989–1990 season, he played four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques (later relocated to Colorado). He 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.
He scored his first NHL goal in his sixth season against the Vancouver Canucks. It was in the first game of the season. He spent most of his time with the Blues as the protector of Brett Hull
. Despite his relatively short career, he was one of the most feared enforcers to ever play the game. Known for his devastating punches, he battered many of the league's top enforcers during his career.
comic book
series, Todd McFarlane
created a mob enforcer character named Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli, whom McFarlane acknowledged was named after Tony Twist. Twist won a $15 million verdict in 2004 when a St. Louis, Missouri
jury found Todd McFarlane Productions had profited from Twist's likeness. The verdict was upheld after two appeals in June 2006. In 2007, Twist and McFarlane settled the lawsuit out of court for $5 million.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. He played left wing
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
in the NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
for the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
and Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
, but was also a feared enforcer
Enforcer (hockey)
Enforcer is an unofficial role in ice hockey. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "fighter", "tough guy", or "goon". NHL players regarded as enforcers include Tiger Williams, Tony Twist, Bob Probert, Dave Semenko, Dave Schultz, Tie Domi, Dave Brown, Joey Kocur, Clark Gillies, Stu Grimson,...
. He now is a co-host in post-game shows after Blues games on Fox Sports Midwest. Twist recently 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
Saint Charles, Missouri
St. Charles is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 65,794, making St. Charles the 2nd largest city in St. Charles County. It lies just to the northwest of St. Louis, Missouri on the Missouri River, and, for a time,...
and Ste. Genevieve
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Ste. Genevieve is a city in and the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,654 at the 2000 census...
Missouri.
Playing career
He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft1988 NHL Entry Draft
The 1988 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Forum in Montreal, Quebec.-Selections by round:Below are listed the selections in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft...
, #177 overall. After skating with the Blues for the 1989–1990 season, he played four seasons with the Quebec Nordiques (later relocated to Colorado). He 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.
He scored his first NHL goal in his sixth season against the Vancouver Canucks. It was in the first game of the season. He spent most of his time with the Blues as the protector of Brett Hull
Brett Hull
Brett Andrew Hull is a former Canadian-American NHL player and the former Executive Vice President of the Dallas Stars. He is the son of Bobby Hull and nephew of Dennis Hull, both former NHL players. Hull is also known as "The Golden Brett," which is a play off of his father's nickname, "The...
. Despite his relatively short career, he was one of the most feared enforcers to ever play the game. Known for his devastating punches, he battered many of the league's top enforcers during his career.
Lawsuit against Todd McFarlane
In the SpawnSpawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series, Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
created a mob enforcer character named Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli, whom McFarlane acknowledged was named after Tony Twist. Twist won a $15 million verdict in 2004 when a St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
jury found Todd McFarlane Productions had profited from Twist's likeness. The verdict was upheld after two appeals in June 2006. In 2007, Twist and McFarlane settled the lawsuit out of court for $5 million.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
+/- | PP | SH | GW | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1985–86 | Prince George Spruce Kings Prince George Spruce Kings The Prince George Spruce Kings are a Junior "A" Ice Hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League... |
PCJHL | 42 | 32 | 20 | 52 | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Saskatoon Blades Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Division of the Western Hockey League. They are based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, playing at the 15,195 seat Credit Union Centre.-History:... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
64 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 181 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 55 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 226 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1988–89 | Peoria Rivermen Peoria Rivermen The Peoria Rivermen are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Peoria, Illinois, USA at the Carver Arena.-History:... |
IHL | 67 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 312 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | St. Louis Blues St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade... |
NHL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 124 | -2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 200 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1990–91 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 38 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 244 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Quebec Nordiques Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 | -4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 164 | -3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 34 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 64 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Quebec Nordiques | NHL | 49 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 101 | -1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 28 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 89 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 51 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 100 | -1 | — | — | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1996–97 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 64 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 121 | -8 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 60 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 105 | -4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 63 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 149 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 445 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 1121 | -23 | — | — | 2 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 | ||||