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“Ten years ago, Connecticut waste-management king Jimmy Galante started a minor league hockey team and put his 17-year-old son, A.J., in charge. (September, 2015)”
Click Here to watch the video at SI.com, but read this first…
Read that description again. A Connecticut waste-management king started a minor league hockey team and put his 17-year-old son in charge. WHAT?
One of the most insane things I’ve ever watched. The mafia-connected Trash King of Connecticut used the money he strong-armed through mafia influence to start a minor league hockey team and put his SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD high school senior son in charge of the franchise. And he matter-of-factly did so right as the NHL lockout hit, allowing him to sign disgruntled NHL guys looking for a salary and a place to play. He then proceeded to circumvent the league’s salary cap and commit wire fraud to pay his players three times the league’s cap. And those players they signed? They fought everyone. To the point that teams were afraid to go to Danbury. The team also attracted the most raucus crowd you could possibly see for minor league hockey.
All the while, he was under investigation for countless racketeering charges because, again, he was connected to the mafia. He was charged, pled guilty, and was sent to prison, thus ending the franchise in just it’s second year. The franchise, again, that was run by a HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR.
Just absolutely bonkers. Absolutely worth the 15 minutes of your day. Captivating from start to finish. Really well done by SI, who I guess is getting into the documentary game today. My only complaint is that this wasn’t longer. I could watch an entire hour just on Tommy Pomposello.
Best video you’ll watch all week.
P.S. As absurd as the name Trashers is, it’s so perfectly hockey. One of the best team names of all time.
Thanks to Construction Joe for the video
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