Hockey world buzzes as ex-NHL enforcer brawls slowpoke golfer on Alberta course
Video of a brawl between former NHL enforcer Nick Tarnasky and an aggressive bearded assailant on an Alberta golf course has gone viral.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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He fought other tough players such as Tanner Glass, Aaron Asham, Zenon Konopka, Milan Lucic, Matt Greene, Mike Commodore, Colton Orr and Zack Stortini.
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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.'
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Very respectable ass-whooping courtesy of NHLer Nick Tarnasky. pic.twitter.com/PznUgIV9Kz
— INPOComps (@INPO_Comps) July 8, 2025
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