BRANCHBURG, N.J., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A New Jersey businessman and hockey enthusiast was so moved by Iceland's financial troubles he organized 100 people to attend a hockey tournament there.

Michael Dee, a Branchburg resident, told The Star-Ledger of Newark he estimates the group spent $200,000 during four days in Iceland in October.


"It was pretty wild," he said. "Some of the guys figured they were bailing out Iceland by buying drinks for every girl in the bar. I helped out, too."

The 60-year-old Dee is president of a candy company and a graduate student as well as an amateur hockey player. He called the trip -- inspired by news stories about the collapse of Iceland's banks followed by a major volcanic eruption -- the "Great Icelandic Hockey Bailout."

"Our slogan was 'Iceland is too small to fail,'" he said. "We thought we'd give them a hand."

Dee said he plans future trips to bail out Iceland and expects to get twice as many people for the next one.