‘Just trying to have fun with it’: ex-NHL enforcer Tarnasky explains golf course beatdown

A week after a viral clip surfaced of former NHL enforcer Nick Tarnasky laying the smackdown on a foul-mouthed person on the golf course, he spoke with the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast to discuss it:

Tarnasky, who played 13 professional seasons between 2004 and 2017, said the two-man group that included the man he fought was taking between 20 to 25 minutes to play each hole. He says the incident occurred on the 15th hole.

“I’m behind my buddy, and he’s a little tentative because these guys are clearly … I don’t know, bath salts or meth? I don’t know what was going on there,” he said. “I rolled up and said ‘hey guys, we got to get moving,’ and that instantly set him up.”

As Tarnasky and his group yell at the person to hit their shot, the man yells at them to “cry about it.” After yelling at one another, the golfer takes his glasses and glove off, then charges Tarnasky, who proceeds to shove the man into a water hazard.

“I was trying to be like, ‘let’s make it fun, I’m not going to threaten you,’ but (if I were him), ‘If I get thrown in the pond by this f–king mutant, maybe I’m going to chill out,'” Tarnasky said.

Paul Bissonnette, one of the Spittin’ Chiclets co-hosts, asked Tarnasky if he added sound effects to his punches when he played, just like he did in the brawl on the golf course.

“I was just trying to have fun with it,” Tarnasky said. “It’s like, why am I fighting at a golf course against a guy … I don’t even know what’s going on here, I just thought ‘f–k it, it might be a blast. Have some fun with it.'”

Tarnasky said after the confrontation, he told the person he fought and his group they had to get out of there.

“Everyone’s getting a good laugh out of it. I think the message was sent that it was inappropriate, and he got embarrassed … let sleeping dogs sleep, it’s nothing to continue hacking the guy about. It happened, it’s done with … I don’t think we need to beat the guy to death about it.”

You can listen to the full interview here:

Tarnasky was taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the ninth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, spent five seasons in the NHL, scoring 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points, recording 297 penalty minutes in 245 regular-season games with the Lightning, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers.

He also spent parts of nine seasons in the AHL, scoring 80 goals and recording 65 assists for 145 points and 881 penalty minutes in 486 regular-season games with the Springfield Falcons, Rochester Americans, Hamilton Bulldogs, Hartford Wolf Pack and San Diego Gulls.

According to Hockey Fights, Tarnasky recorded 38 NHL fighting majors in the regular season, as well as 98 fighting majors in the AHL regular season.

Tarnasky spent four seasons playing junior hockey in the WHL, recording 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points and 201 penalty minutes in 152 career games with the Vancouver Giants, Kelowna Rockets and Lethbridge Hurricanes.