NHL enforcer Nick Tarnasky gives story behind viral golf fight video

Former NHL enforcer Nick Tarnasky has shared his side of the wild golf course fight that blew up in social media videos last week.

On the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, Tarnasky said the fight erupted on Hole 15 of the Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada on July 4, with an inebriated man taking 20-25 minutes to play each hole and challenging course-goers to fights.

“At the end of the day, I asked him not to, told him he shouldn’t get involved with me, I asked him to move on, I gave him every opportunity not to, and he charged at me,” Tarnasky said. “I’m not going to fold over, that’s not my nature.”

The fight did not end well for the drunk golfer, since identified as a man named Trevor Ogilvie, who ended up getting tossed in a pond and badly beaten up by Tarnasky.

Tarnasky, who is 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and played five seasons in the NHL, said the altercation took place after Ogilvie was threatening to fight just about everyone in his path, including Tarnasky’s friend and friend’s fiancee.

With Ogilvie and his friend holding up Hole 15, Tarnasky said he rolled up and said, “Hey guys, we gotta get moving.”

“That instantly set him off,” Tarnasky recalled. “He’s doing the fist-clenching and the pumping his arms, and that’s where the altercation starts that’s on the video.”

Tarnasky said he was trying to “make it fun” and not escalate the situation by threatening Ogilvie, but he couldn’t help but warn that he would toss Ogilvie into the nearby pond.

“If I hear I’m going to get thrown in the pond by this f—ing mutant, maybe I’m going to chill out,” Tarnasky said. “I thought maybe that could be a fun way to be like, ‘You guys are in the wrong, let’s speed things up.’”

Ogilvie, who later admitted that the incident was “not his finest moment” and that his “mouth ran faster than is brain,” did not take the hint, and ended up getting bodyslammed into the pond by Tarnasky, who accumulated 297 total penalty minutes in the NHL. 

After the portion of the incident that can be seen in the viral video, Tarnasky said he told Ogilvie and his friend to “get the f— outta here,” which they eventually did. 

The police eventually showed up to the course, with Tarnasky openly explaining what he did and why he did it.

Tarnasky called the aftermath of the crazy scene “pretty tough” and “pretty overwhelming,” even if he’s being heralded as the hero of the situation.

“It’s nice to hear from damn near every single teammate I’ve played with for 13-14 years of my life,” he joked. “Guys are fired up.”