Happy Gilmore III? Hockey brawl breaks out on golf course as Florida Panthers ex-enforcer reverts to form
Former NHL enforcer Nick Tarnasky was caught on video tossing a man into a pond during a confrontation at an Canada golf course on the Fourth of July.
In a scene that could be straight out of the upcoming “Happy Gilmore 2” movie, a seemingly intoxicated man in a blue and white polo repeatedly yells at Tarnasky’s group to get off the green at Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer around 5:45 p.m.
The man became increasingly aggressive, yelling “Let’s f**king go,” as he clapped his hands and walked toward the Tarnasky, 40, who is wearing a white shirt.
Tarnasky, standing at 6-feet 2-inches and weighing 224 pounds, then pushes the shorter man from the grass into a nearby pond.
“I f***king told you. He just f**king came at me,” an irate Tarnasky screamed.
In a twist that’s delighted millions of people on social media, the man emerges from the pond and continues to come at Tarnasky, who proceeds to punch him while making cartoon-like “bang” sounds.
“Enough! Get him the f**k out of here,” Tarnasky yelled at the end of the video. “I asked you to f**king get moving. I said ‘Stop looking like an idiot.’”
Born in Alberta, Tarnasky was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2005 and went on to play 245 games over five seasons with the Lightning, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers.
Tarnasky recorded 22 points and nearly 300 penalty minutes in the NHL, earning a reputation for his physical style of play and willingness to drop the gloves. After leaving the NHL in 2010, he extended his career playing for various minor league teams and briefly suiting up for Vityaz Chekhov in Russia.
Following his retirement from professional hockey in the late 2010s, Tarnasky transitioned into coaching and currently serves as a U17 coach with Red Deer Minor Hockey in Alberta.
A Red Deer Minor Hockey spokesperson told The Independent in a statement, “We are aware of a video circulating on social media involving a coach with Red Deer Minor Hockey. At this time, given that we understand the matter is being reviewed by local policing authorities and we are conducting our own internal investigation into the alleged incident, we will have no further comments. ”
The Independent also contacted representatives for the Alberta Springs Golf Course and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for comment.
Thousands of people reacted to the “very respectable a**-whooping” on social media.
“When you run into Nick Tarnasky on the golf course in 2055,” one person tweeted alongside a photo of the famous “Happy Gilmore” scene where Bob Barker beats up Adam Sandler on a golf course.
“Can you imagine running your mouth at the golf course only to get fed by former NHLer Nick Tarnasky?” another user wrote. “The ‘bangs’ were straight out of the WWE, and the guy was warned. Mess with the bull, you get the horns! Hockey players are the best.”
A third person suggested, “If anyone has an old Nick Tarnasky jersey lying around, this would be a great week to dust it off and wear it again.”
“The more I watch this, the funnier it gets,” another person quipped.
Tarnasky has not publicly addressed the altercation.
