Quick Facts
Biography
Anthony Rory Twist (born May 9, 1968 in Sherwood Park, Alberta) is a former professional ice hockey player. He played left wing in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Quebec Nordiques, and was a feared enforcer. 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 Imperial Missouri. Currently he co-hosts the Smash and Twist show on 590 the Man in St. Louis.
Playing career
He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, No. 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.Known for his devastating punches, he battered many of the league's top enforcers during his career.
Lawsuit against Todd McFarlane
In the Spawn comic book series, Todd McFarlane created a mob enforcer character named Antonio "Tony Twist" Twistelli, who 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.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PP | SH | GW | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1985–86 | Prince George Spruce Kings | PCJHL | 42 | 32 | 20 | 52 | 162 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 64 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 181 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | 55 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 226 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1988–89 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 67 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 312 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | St. Louis Blues | 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 | 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 | ||||