'Cry about it!': Hockey world buzzes as ex-NHL enforcer brawls slowpoke golfer on Alberta course
The video of the fight, which lasts about 30 seconds with plenty of blows and profanity, was taken a few days ago, but went viral today, with tens of millions of views on social media.
It's not clear who is taking the video, though from some of the conversation it sounds it might be a member of Tarnasky's golf party or perhaps a golf course manager or marshal. I've put in a call to the reported golf course where the incident occurred, but haven't got any answer back yet.
Tarnasky, 40, from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, was listed at 6-feet, 2-inches, 230-pounds as a player. He had dozens of fights in 13 years of pro hockey, including 245 NHL games with Tampa and Florida, where he got 297 penalty minutes.
He fought other tough players such as Tanner Glass, Aaron Asham, Zenon Konopka, Milan Lucic, Matt Greene, Mike Commodore, Colton Orr and Zack Stortini.
Said Jordie Demcher of Barstool Sports of Tarnasky and the golf fight: 'He wasn't a hockey player who fought occasionally. He was a fighter who sometimes managed to play ice hockey. He was bashing dudes skulls open while he was skating on a sheet of ice. Do you really think he was even going to break a sweat having to beat the sh*t out of some nerd while standing on foot? So let this be a lesson to all the guys out there who have a short fuse, and have had too much to drink–if you're going to challenge a guy to a fight, maybe do your homework first. At least figure out his name and do a quick Google search. You might think you're just fighting some random massive mutant who was going to kick your ass anyway. But next thing you know, you're dealing with a guy who was legitimately a professional ass kicker. Check the game notes, bud.'
Like most videos, we only have part of the interaction between the two adversaries, but we've got far more of the back story on what starts the fight than on the vast majority of social media fight videos.
The incident started with Tarnasky and his group of golfers frustrated that the two players ahead of them were taking too much time to tee off, possibly due to inebriation.
Tarnasky and his group can be heard telling the two players to either drive or they'll be booted off the course. The two are also warned not to act too tough because they're not tough guys. If they want to keep playing, it's suggested they let Tarnasky's group go ahead because at that moment they been standing there for 15 minutes: 'That's not golf. You guys can't even stand up,' the two were told.
At that point the bearded golfer exploded in response, yelling repeatedly, 'Well, cry about it! F*ckin' cry about ir! F*ckin' cry about it!'
The bearded golfer then taunted Taranasky, calling him a 'p*ssy.'
The bearded golfer was warned to back down and that he was going to take a beating if he did not.
'I don't give a f*ck,' the bearded golfer said, then took off his sunglasses and threw them to the ground: 'Let's f*ckin' go, man. Ho, ho, ho.'
He then started to clap his hands. He advanced on Tarnasky.
Again, he was told to back away, that he was not scaring anybody.
Just then, the bearded man launched himself at Tarnasky, who dodged and used the aggressor's energy and momentum to push him into a golf pond.
Tarnasky backed away, but the soaking assailant got out of the pond and kept after him. The ex-hockey player then grabbed him and hit him twice in the face, yelling 'Bam!' and 'Bang!' with the two blows, knocking down the assailant.
The bearded man's golf partner then tried to intervene, but Tarnasky pushed him aside.
Again, the assailant came at Tarnasky, this time getting punched hard three times in the face, Tarnasky yelling out with each blow, 'Bang! Bang! Bang!'
When the assailant fell down, Tarnasky yelled, 'Enough! Enough! Get out!'
But again the assailant charged him, this time Tarnasky using his momentum to rag-doll him, and toss him high through the air and onto some grass.
Finally, the assailant appeared to have had enough and the incident ended.
Reaction on the hockey world was almost entirely sympathetic to Tarnasky:
Panthers fan Stu Young @utsgnuoy Wow, I didn't know NHL player fought on land just like they do on ice! Guy takes a serious beating!
Sports fan Dylan Barrons 🌍 @Bloop33 The more I watch this the funnier it gets
Writer Steve Skojec @SteveSkojec Yelling 'bang!' every time you punch a d-bag in the mouth is a strangely Baller move. Also, really appreciated the airtime on those launches
Businessman Adam Rossi @rossiadam Anyone looking for a sales guy? He gets thrown in a lake, gets pounded in the face by a Sasquatch yelling 'bam' with each punch, and still keeps a coming. Would make an amazing cold caller.
Hockey news site The Morning Skate @morning_skate Can you imagine running your mouth at the golf course only to get fed by former NHLer Nick Tarnasky 😂 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
Hockey content creator Andrew Weiss @WeissHockeyTalk Looks like former Lightning tough guy Nick Tarnasky is still fully capable of throwing some knuckles 🫡 That's one way to deal with (probably drunk) idiots
Hockey stats analyst Derek Braid @Royal_Arse Tarnasky almost 300 PIMs in 150 games in AHL 04-06. This drunk fool picked a fight with a professional nail gun. Wrong door pal.
Top ranked hockeh podcast Spittin' Chiclets @spittinchiclets BANG BANG BANG 💥🤛 Nick Tarnasky fed some lunch on the golf course and gave a good lesson on not to chirp a former NHLer 😂
Minnesota hockey fan Bob ' The Bear' Murphy @murphfrommidway The Rick Flair 'WOOOOOO' wasn't scaring the big man. Tarnasky gave him more hang time than a Ray Guy punt. And Tarnasky with the Batman sound effect with every blow he landed was priceless. Good thing Percy Pringle finally stopped the carnage. 🤣🤣🤣
Former NHL ref Tim Peel @TimCPeel20 😂😂😂 I reffed Nick. Never saw that side of him!😂
Senators fan Kevin McConville 🇨🇦 @Sensfan001Kevin Golf in Canada … is very much a contact sport it seems. And not just contact on the ball …
1. Three decades ago I interviewed one of Edmonton's toughest but sanest men, Norm Brochu, the top bouncer at Edmonton's roughest bar, the Beverly Crest. Brochu said in his decades of being a bouncer he had rarely fought and had learned that even as he could handle himself well, it was best to avoid a fight, that you never know who you are up against, and the body doesn't always recover from a beating.
Wise words.
2. The assailant in this fight was evidently drunk. He certainly acted as if he'd lost his good sense. He was aggressive and kept coming. He picked the wrong guy to mess with in Tarnasky. But as much damage as Tarnasky did, you can also see him letting up on the assailant. He warns him repeatedly to stand down. He never kicks him. He leaves him alone when he's down. He might well have thrown him onto pavement, not grass, but didn't do so. I see a controlled rage here, which was lucky for the assailant given he instigated the fight and kept on charging even as he was taking a beating.
The fight was comical and Pythonesque in that way, with the maniacal aggression of the instigator repeatedly rebounding on him.
There's also an element of the assailant getting what he richly had coming to him, a key element in so many vigilante movies, from Charles Bronson's 'Death Wish' series to Denzel Washington's 'The Equalizer.'
No one weeps when the bad guy gets punched in the face, even punched repeatedly.
The video is sure to have a long, long, long life on the internet.
3. Finally a few sentences about the bearded assailant, who is took one beating from Tarnasky, and now is taking one in the court of public opinion.
First, got to give the guy the credit as a warrior who kept on coming, even as he was getting trounced.
Second, no harm in sucking up and admitting you were far too aggressive, or, better yet, having a laugh with most everyone else at the temporary insanity that saw you unwittingly challenge one of hard men of hockey, then pay the inevitable price.
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But while those players should help the Red Wings to varying degrees, it's safe to say none qualifies as the kind of needle-mover the Red Wings needed in the top six of their forward corps, or top four on defense. And absent that, or a later-summer trade, Detroit appears to be left with that alternate route laid out by its GM. The question is just what that growth could actually look like. Let's start with the first two players Yzerman mentioned, Kasper and Edvinsson — both former top-10 picks who were functionally rookies last season (Edvinsson didn't technically qualify because he had played six or more games in two preceding seasons, but had only 25 total games to his name). Advertisement Kasper, a young center who played nearly the entire season at age 20, was the breakout story of Detroit's second half. He moved into a full-time role in the top six in January, and never looked back — first playing on the left wing with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, and then moving back into the middle after an injury to Andrew Copp, centering Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. In both roles, he thrived. From January 10 through the end of the season, Kasper scored 17 goals and had 30 points in 42 games. That's outstanding output for any rookie (and indeed, he was first in goals and fifth in points among rookies in that span), but particularly for a young center who also displayed a mature two-way game and plays with an edge. If he can be that over a full season — whether at 2C or even at first-line wing at times — that's already a huge deal, let alone if he were to take any kind of step. Unsurprisingly, Dom Luszczyszyn's model already has Kasper projected to deliver top-six value next season. But considering how much the offense, in particular, ticked up in the second half, it's interesting to consider if he could even outpace the already promising projections the model is giving. If he can trend toward first-line impact sooner than expected, that would be one clear way Detroit's outlook could improve. That kind of improvement is not a given, though. While Kasper's 13.1 shooting percentage over the full 2024-25 season looks fairly sustainable, his 18.3 percent marker from Jan. 10 on is notably high. That speaks to the challenge in predicting what his next season could look like, and fittingly, the top comparables via Luszczyszyn's model go in each direction. Certainly, Detroit will be hoping to avoid worst-case outcomes such as Alexander Burmistrov or Nolan Patrick (who battled significant injuries). Meanwhile, the Red Wings would, of course, be over the moon to get an outcome like Jamie Benn. Even Boone Jenner has had a nice career, albeit with some recent injury woes, and was a 30-goal scorer as early as 22. Advertisement The most likely outcome (as always) is probably somewhere in the middle of that range, but based on Kasper's mental makeup, it's hard not to like his odds of continuing his upward trajectory. He's not someone who will take anything for granted or get complacent. But it's important to remember how hard it truly is to consistently deliver strong results in the NHL at a young age, and even Larkin — the Red Wings' most important player of the last decade — fell victim to a sophomore slump once upon a time. Still, if Kasper can play more toward the upper-end of his recent comparables, that stands out as perhaps the most significant way for Detroit to make a meaningful improvement next year. The other top young player Yzerman keyed in on that post-draft statement was Edvinsson, who has a higher-floor set of comparables. Luszczyszyn's model already has Edvinsson comfortably as a top-pair caliber defenseman, and the names who have seen similar results at this age have gone on to some excellent careers as impactful defenders. Josh Morrissey is the most tantalizing name, as a current Norris Trophy candidate, but it's easy to forget just how good Seth Jones has proven to be in the right environment (he was a total force on Florida's Stanley Cup run), and Jacob Trouba, Alex Edler, Esa Lindell and even K'Andre Miller have played massive roles on teams that went on deep runs. The way Edvinsson skates at his size gives him an excellent ability to defend in transition, and he has the puck skills and poise to make good passes to start the break as well. He can at times get overeager, but with more reps and experience, it stands to reason the risk in his game could come down as well — setting him up for star potential if things break right. His role last year as a top-four defender all year (spending some of that time on the top pair with Moritz Seider) means Detroit is already getting plenty of that impact from Edvinsson, which has to be factored in. What is interesting, though, is how much offense Edvinsson was able to generate despite minimal power-play time last season. None of his 31 points came on the power play. Advertisement If the smooth-skating 6-foot-6 defender gets a little more action on PP2 this season, that'd be one way for him to add a bit more offense, and his natural puck-moving at five-on-five provides plenty of reason to think his even-strength numbers can continue to grow as well. The other name Yzerman singled out was Johansson, who didn't have the same kind of statistical success as Kasper or Edvinsson, but nonetheless really won over the coaching staff with how he played in the second half. The underlying numbers weren't as kind — with a 45 percent expected goals share and 43 percent actual goals share, according to Evolving Hockey — but some of that may be a product of often playing a second-pair role as a true rookie, and a smaller-bodied rookie at that. That said, he certainly had his moments, including making a transition stop on Connor McDavid in Edmonton. Not to make this about the Red Wings but remember the time Johansson schooled McDavid? — Delaney Rimer (@delaneydrw) February 16, 2025 On one hand, Johansson's workload likely isn't getting any lighter, considering Detroit didn't make any big additions on defense. But perhaps with the experience under his belt — and a summer to try and add weight — Johansson can come back more ready to handle second-pair minutes for a full season. He certainly has the smarts and skating to do so as a steady complement to Edvinsson. Yzerman also alluded to a young player coming up from Grand Rapids and helping the Red Wings, and there are two names that really come to mind. One is Carter Mazur, who was called up last season only to quickly sustain an upper-body injury and be done for the season. Injuries have followed Mazur as a pro, but he's the kind of gritty forward with offensive touch who could both help build a tougher-to-play against identity and score more goals in the bottom six. The other, and perhaps the higher-ceiling candidate, is Nate Danielson — the 2023 ninth pick who had very similar numbers to Kasper in their respective AHL rookie seasons. Whether Danielson makes the team out of camp or not, his blend of size, skating, smarts and skill gives him the potential to play in the top six and complement Detroit's top players. Advertisement Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary praised Danielson's finish to last season, particularly the Griffins' final game (a double-overtime playoff loss to Texas), and Detroit will challenge him to pick up where he left off. There are other names to know for the season. Forward Amadeus Lombardi is one, after a great second season in Grand Rapids. Both Shai Buium and William Wallinder could bring more size on the back end. And of course, recent first-rounders Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Axel Sandin Pellikka have big potential once they adjust to North American ice. But Danielson, because of how truly well-rounded he is, has the most potential to move the needle for Detroit in 2025-26 among the prospects, if he can find his top level consistently. The other element to all of this is that first- and second-year players aren't the only players capable of improving. Anyone can. And while certainly Detroit would love to see further steps from everyone on the roster, there are two more players right in the development sweet spot for whom one or two more steps could make a major difference. Seider and Raymond are already two of Detroit's most important, impactful players. Seider is the team leader in ice time, and Raymond is its leading point-producer two years running. But when you look at some of the names Luszczyszyn's model found as comparables to this point in their young careers, there's also clear potential for more. Drew Doughty really stands on Seider's list as a path to taking his already excellent play into true star territory. For Raymond, he may not have Matthew Tkachuk's same edge, but the Panthers star also grew into multiple 100-point seasons, as has Patrick Kane. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has reached that level in a season, too, while Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel have both topped 90. And while Raymond has already been a difference-maker for Detroit, would anyone really be that surprised if he built on his 80-point campaign last season and reached that even more exclusive territory? Advertisement None of this, mind you, is a given. It's a lot of 'ifs,' and odds are, not all of them will come to fruition. It's possible that none will. But if the right ones do, that's what it would take for Detroit's hope for internal improvement to actually turn into a long-awaited playoff berth. (Photo of Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
