NEED TO KNOW
- A golf course brawl has gone viral after former NHL player Nick Tarnasky fights off another player and shove him in a pond
- A representative for Red Deer Minor Hockey, a Canadian youth organization where Tarnasky is a head coach, said they are investigating the incident
- Tarnasky played six seasons in the NHL
Former NHL player Nick Tarnasky’s employer says they are investigating after a video that appears to show Tarnasky brawling with another player on a Canadian golf course has gone viral.
In the video, a golfer can be seen shouting and clapping as someone tries to tell his group to leave. When one of the men told him, “You’re not scaring anybody,” he suddenly headed straight for a man who appears to be Tarnasky.
After a scuffle, Tarnasky appears to shove him off into a pond and later punched him repeatedly when he reemerges from the water and goes towards Tarnasky again. The former NHL player can be heard screaming, “Enough, enough, get out!” at the golfer as he threw him to the ground.
The man was able to walk away and did not appear to be seriously injured. Reached by phone, the Alberta Springs Golf Resort in Red Deer, Canada, where the New York Post reported the incident occurred, declined to provide additional information to PEOPLE.
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A representative for Red Deer Minor Hockey, a Canadian youth organization where Tarnasky is a head coach, confirmed that the former NHL player is in the video and said they are investigating the incident.
“We are aware of a video circulating on social media involving a coach with Red Deer Minor Hockey,” General Manager Jason Stephens tells PEOPLE in a statement. “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 Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta did not immediately respond to a request from PEOPLE for additional information about the incident.
Tarnasky played six seasons in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers, logging 245 games in his career and nearly 300 penalty minutes, according to NHL.com. He went on to play several seasons in the minor-league AHL before becoming a coach. In May, Red Deer Minor Hockey announced that Tarnasky would return to coach their U17 AAA team for the 2025-2026 season.
