Hockey team linked to Nick Tarnasky investigating viral golf course fight

The current employer of ex-NHL tough guy Nick Tarnasky said it’s looking into the ugly Fourth of July brawl that went viral after the former Florida Panther allegedly pummeled another man at a Canadian golf course. 

Tarnasky coaches Red Deer Minor Hockey’s U17 team, and in a statement to TMZ on Tuesday, the hockey club said it was investigating the incident. 

“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,” they said. 

While the club that Tarnasky works for is looking into the brawl, authorities are not. 

Police in Canada told TMZ that officers had been dispatched to the course following a report of a man who was drunk and starting fights, but closed the probe when they arrived and the suspect was gone. 

The ugly fight took place at Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, when another man attempted to charge at someone who is thought to be Tarnasky, only to learn the error in the decision as the former NHL brawler allegedly tossed the man into a lake. 

The individual continued to come after Tarnasky, and the former NHLer allegedly threw several more punches at the man and then tossed him to the ground before someone stepped in to stop him. 

The brawl reportedly took place around 5:47 p.m. on July 4.

Tarnasky’s hockey career included stints in the NHL, AHL and KHL. 

He was taken in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Draft by the Lightning, where he played 12 games during the 2005-06 season before becoming a mainstay on the roster for the next two seasons. 

He played 11 games in 2008-09 with the Predators and then played two seasons with the Panthers, last suiting up in the 2009-10 season.