Slap Shot: Danbury Hat Tricks Face Off Against John Oliver

DANBURY, CT — Like medieval knights in ice skates, Danbury's professional hockey team has arrived to defend the honor of its city.

On Tuesday, the Danbury Hat Tricks set their announcer and communications director Casey Bryant loose against HBO host John Oliver, who dropped an expletive-laden rant about Danbury during his show "Last Week Tonight" on Sunday. The team's YouTube video response, "Defending Danbury: A response to John Oliver," plays out like a hard hip check into the boards.

In the video that runs just under three minutes, Bryant mocks the HBO host's less-than-stellar filmography, specifically his work in "The Smurfs," "Wonder Park," and as Dick Pants in the box office mega-bomb "The Love Guru."

On Monday, Mayor Mark Boughton promised he would be taking off the gloves a little later in the week. In his semi-weekly "Live at Five" livestream, the mayor wondered why Oliver "has a weird thing about Danbury," speculating that perhaps the city "broke his heart." In 2017, Oliver mocked the city's efforts to become Amazon's second headquarters city as being "almost too hilarious."

Boughton took particular issue with the HBO host's "standing invite" to residents to receive "a thrashing from John Oliver — children included. F--- you!"

"Those things were a little too edgy for me," Boughton said. "That's why he will pay the price, because you don’t mess with Mayor Mark."

The mayor said he would be producing a video of his own on Friday, and releasing it over the weekend.

In his response, Bryant seemed incredulous that Oliver would even consider threatening Hat City.
"We invented thrashing, alright, pal?" Bryant reminds Oliver in the video. "We have a proud history of beating the tar out of people."