How Mike Rupp Once Played For The Real Tony Soprano

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Just watched a documentary on the Danbury Trashers:
https://www.netflix.com/title/81026438

The Trashers were started by the real Tony Soprano, who made his 17 year old son AJ (no I’m not f***ing with you) the GM.

Mike Rupp wasn’t even the most famous name AJ landed - pssst Gretzky!

Then the FBI had to go and ruin all the fun.

Pretty bananas hockey story.

 

[beowulf]

It's more than that, the doc is more about him being a mob connected owner who laughed at the rules and broke them constantly. The UHL at the time had a hard $250K salary cap and he spent over $750K by paying players cash under the table or gave them no show jobs at his companies.
Black eye on hockey for sure and glad they didn't last long.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

It's more than that, the doc is more about him being a mob connected owner who laughed at the rules and broke them constantly. The UHL at the time had a hard $250K salary cap and he spent over $750K by paying players cash under the table or gave them no show jobs at his companies.
Black eye on hockey for sure and glad they didn't last long.

It was basically Slapshot meets The Sopranos because of the Mighty Ducks.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Curious if the Great one told his brother to stop playing for them

 

[Jumptheshark]

the link to the soporanos is thin

 

[Buffalowing1988]

the link to the soporanos is thin

Every neckbeard from New Jersey claims they have a connection to Tony Soprano. It's hilarious.

Also, just watched this doc and I cringed for 90 percent of it. The kid who was given the team implies that he had a future in hockey before he had a "career-ending" injury. If it was so bad why couldn't he even tell anyone what it was? And then the whole redemption story behind Brad Wingfield, a waste of a player who was clearly on steroids, was ridiculous. POS player and person. Lastly, the fact that they made it to the finals but lost is shown as a sign of how well-managed they were but I'm sorry, they had multiple former NHLers on that team and were paying 3x the salary cap. Not winning with those conditions is downright pathetic.

Good documentary and interesting but makes me hate the Gallante family.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Neat

 

[chicagoskycam]

Every neckbeard from New Jersey claims they have a connection to Tony Soprano. It's hilarious.

Also, just watched this doc and I cringed for 90 percent of it. The kid who was given the team implies that he had a future in hockey before he had a "career-ending" injury. If it was so bad why couldn't he even tell anyone what it was? And then the whole redemption story behind Brad Wingfield, a waste of a player who was clearly on steroids, was ridiculous. POS player and person. Lastly, the fact that they made it to the finals but lost is shown as a sign of how well-managed they were but I'm sorry, they had multiple former NHLers on that team and were paying 3x the salary cap. Not winning with those conditions is downright pathetic.

Good documentary and interesting but makes me hate the Gallante family.

Yeah, they really glossed over the fact they could pay players more than any other AHL team when talking about their success, lol. That being said this doc is well worth the watch, it really is an unbelievable story. On the positive, they did give the town and fans a wild ride.

As much as I thought I would hate James Galante I didn't.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Galante was connected to the Genovese Family, not the DeCavalcante's or the jersey faction of the Luccheses.

 

[Buffalowing1988]

Yeah, they really glossed over the fact they could pay players more than any other AHL team when talking about their success, lol. That being said this doc is well worth the watch, it really is an unbelievable story. On the positive, they did give the town and fans a wild ride.

As much as I thought I would hate James Galante I didn't.

James Galante has a pretty punchable face but he came across as pretty...fair? Idk, I thought I would hate him, too, but I didn't. His son, on the other hand, what a mug on that dude and the tough-guy act on him was hilarious. Also, I was a teenager in the mid-00s, I know what was and was not normal clothing and the shit that kid was wearing was cringe-worthy.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I've heard that this is a really good documentary in a "Tiger King" sort of way.

 

[beowulf]

Funny how if you go on hockeydb.com the 5-muinutes ago and 1-hour ago that the site lists on the left has a lot of the players that showed up in the documentary lol

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

James Galante has a pretty punchable face but he came across as pretty...fair? Idk, I thought I would hate him, too, but I didn't. His son, on the other hand, what a mug on that dude and the tough-guy act on him was hilarious. Also, I was a teenager in the mid-00s, I know what was and was not normal clothing and the shit that kid was wearing was cringe-worthy.

I didn’t find him likable - more shady than anything.

I found the documentary fascinating, but a majority of the people connected to the Trashers seemed like assholes, including the fans.

 

[beowulf]

I didn’t find him likable - more shady than anything.

I found the documentary fascinating, but a majority of the people connected to the Trashers seemed like assholes, including the fans.

They really did make me think of the movie Slapshot and the early years of the NAHL, Quebec's semi-pro league which was all about the fights and still is but not nearly as much as in the past.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

If he was part of the New York's Big 5 family, isn't he more Phil Leotardo than Tony Soprano?

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Funny how if you go on hockeydb.com the 5-muinutes ago and 1-hour ago that the site lists on the left has a lot of the players that showed up in the documentary lol

Kind of like how every Spittin' Chiclets guest ends up at the top after every podcast.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

They really did make me think of the movie Slapshot and the early years of the NAHL, Quebec's semi-pro league which was all about the fights and still is but not nearly as much as in the past.

I just wonder what Mike Rupp thought after the FBI stepped in…

“Maybe taking a garbage bag full of money from Vinny and Knuckles was a bad idea…”

 

[chicagoskycam]

I didn’t find him likable - more shady than anything.

I found the documentary fascinating, but a majority of the people connected to the Trashers seemed like assholes, including the fans.

Of course he’s shady, he was a mobster. That being said he seemed like a good father.

the biggest ahole in the doc was the equipment manager by far.

how about the video of him checking the kids. LMAO

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Of course he’s shady, he was a mobster. That being said he seemed like a good father.

the biggest ahole in the doc was the equipment manager by far.

how about the video of him checking the kids. LMAO

He seemed like a good dad, but I don’t think that makes up for fire bombing the competition’s garbage trucks and who knows what else.

The equipment mgr definitely was a huge tool. Not only for smashing kids into the boards, but shutting off the hot water and the other stupid shit he did to visiting teams.

 

[Deadpool8812]

The only guy I truly ended up thinking was a douchebag was the equipment manager

 

[Buffalowing1988]

He seemed like a good dad, but I don’t think that makes up for fire bombing the competition’s garbage trucks and who knows what else.

The equipment mgr definitely was a huge tool. Not only for smashing kids into the boards, but shutting off the hot water and the other stupid shit he did to visiting teams.

Oh but c'mon he was so cool! He puffed a cigar every time he insinuated that he was affiliated with the mob! In reality, he's a bottom-feeder junkie, but the documentary made him sound like some kind of muscle. I guarantee he lives in a basement apartment in Danbury. Such a loser and I hate that he pretends he has a clue about hockey.

 

[Lehnerd Skinnerd]

I really enjoyed this doc, crazy story. I have to start checking out more of these ‘Untold’ docs, because this one was done very well.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Watching this makes me really really wish someone would do a documentary on the Louisiana IceGators circa 1996. It's basically the same story:

- Money-losing arena recruits a fledgling low-level minor league hockey team
- Turns out to be a powerhouse team that strategically engaged in insane Slapshot-level goonery
- Next thing you know, almost 12,000 people a night are showing up for ECHL games in Louisiana
- National news coverage by baffled sports media
- All sorts of money being passed around under the table, in a conspiracy with the league itself, eventually resulting in a case before the Louisiana Supreme Court
- FBI investigation uncovers a murder-for-hire plot against the owners

Except the additional twist that it's bizarrely set in Lafayette with a crazed fanbase who a year earlier had had never been exposed to hockey in their lives.

I mean, it would make for one hell of a story.

 

[TD Charlie]

Just watched this last night and I loved it. I wish they didn't gloss over details like where all these guys are now

The whole thing, everything about this story came across like the one guy from high school who "would've made it to the CHEL if he didn't have a knee injury" but I couldn't look away

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Oh but c'mon he was so cool! He puffed a cigar every time he insinuated that he was affiliated with the mob! In reality, he's a bottom-feeder junkie, but the documentary made him sound like some kind of muscle. I guarantee he lives in a basement apartment in Danbury. Such a loser and I hate that he pretends he has a clue about hockey.

I thought he had played high level hockey - NCAA?

Honestly can’t remember.

Either way he was such a douche canoe and was quite proud to be one.