Kato Kaelin + Pat McAfee Join Galante Family in Danbury for Big Announcement of New ‘Ice Wars’
Jimmy Galante, AJ Galante and Pat McAfee all gathered at the Danbury Ice Arena to make a promotional announcement Saturday (3/26/22).
The team officially announced the birth of “Ice Wars” adding to the ever-growing world of combat sports.
The intrigue around the Galante story has put them in contact with some heavy hitters like Pat McAfee. Pat hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the country “The Pat McAfee Show”, he’s a professional wrestler and a former NFL kickers who made it to two Pro-Bowls.
Pat and Jimmy became fast friends on the heels of the Netflix documentary Untold. That friendship led them to this moment, the announcement of a brand new combat sports venture. I don’t know if Pat is part of the business or not, but he’s certainly doing a lot to help get the word out about it. The new project is called “Ice Wars.”
What is “Ice Wars?” Think of hockey, without all the obnoxious hockey. Just two of your favorite goons squaring off at center ice, with the whole world watching. The first “Ice Wars” bout will take place this spring with events scheduled in U.S. and Canadian cities.
AJ spoke to the Toronto Sun about “Ice Wars” saying:
“Ice Wars will not be a one and done, we are basically creating a new combat sport. This won’t be the first time I got involved with something from scratch, this will be something new and different, and I believe we can entice more than just hockey fans to tune in. We are willing to take risks and try innovative ideas, and we are looking forward to listening to fans on what’s most important to them. We are a sport, but more importantly, we are entertainment.”
The “Ice Wars” thing is going to be monstrous, and revolutionize combat sports in North America. It’s got all the right people involved to be a smashing success. Who doesn’t want to see two hockey players meet at center ice and pummel each other? I go to hockey games and wait the entire time hoping for that to happen. Now I won’t have to wait anymore, nor will you.
The inaugural "Ice Wars" event is on May 21, 2022 at the River Cree Casino in Alberta Canada. It's an 8 man heavyweight tournament and the bracket is determined right after weigh in. The participants are current pro and minor league hockey players but they'll not be expected to use their hockey sticks, instead it's the fists that will do the talking.
The fighters must wear full hockey gear from skates to helmets and they'll be using 4 ounce MMA style gloves. Each bout is comprised of two, one minute rounds. There is no head-butting, kicking or biting and if anyone falls to the ice their opponent can no longer strike them. There will be a total of 7 bouts the first evening.
The event is available pay-per-view style at iwifights.com
All that said, I don’t know how I ended up in this room, I still have no idea why Kato Kaelin was in Danbury or why I met him, it all happened so fast.
Jimmy keeps me up to date on all that he has going on, and there is a lot to know. He’s begun a new phase of his life, one I’m not sure he ever saw coming, celebrity. He and AJ’s phones are busy with incoming messages from people who want a piece of the Galante machine.
None of this explains the Kato Kaelin thing, and I don’t know that I’m going to change that much but I’ll try. Jimmy told me on the phone that Pat knows everyone, including Kato Kaelin. He said that Kato might make it to Danbury, and in Jimmy’s world, might almost always means will. From what I could gather, Kato’s role in all this was “hype man.” He was at the Ice Arena being Kato Kaelin and drawing a crowd.
I find these celebrity meet and greet things to be awkward and I don't need any help being awkward. I usually end up saying something super weird.
So, why was Kato Kaelin in Danbury? I have no f----- clue.
But you probably just want to know what they were like, right? Pat was engaging and kind and we talked about radio. He remarked to me that he has respect for what I do because morning radio, the hours you keep, can be difficult on your mind and body. It’s very easy to see why he’s so successful.
I didn’t ask Kato about OJ but from my brief encounter with him, I don’t think it would bother him one bit. While the guys were making their announcement about “Ice Wars,” someone pointed their attention to Kato and put on a black leather glove and said “it fits.” I could not see who did that from my vantage point but it got a big laugh and Kato played along.
His energy was through the roof and he did touch me a lot. He’s a big touchy-feely guy, he hugged me, grabbed my arm and then started jumping for no reason. I asked about his frosted hair but the comment fell on deaf ears because he was too busy jumping and shouting, it was actually quite funny and he seems to be a pretty nice person.