Ex-NHL enforcer breaks silence, detailing viral golf course beatdown: 'This might be a blast'

National Post

15-07-2025

The ex-NHL enforcer threw some 'bangs' and had a blast while dishing out some justice at an Alberta golf course.
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Nick Tarnasky became a viral sensation after adding some sound effects to his beatdown of a drunken instigator earlier this month and is finally sharing his side of the story on the wild scene.
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Tarnasky, who played six NHL seasons with the Lightning and Panthers, appeared on Tuesday's episode of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast in a one-on-one interview with host Paul Bissonnette — himself a retired NHL tough guy.
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Bissonnette began the hour-long interview by asking his former on-ice opponent how the past 48 hours have gone for him after going viral, to which Tarnasky replied, 'It's been pretty tough, pretty overwhelming.'
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The retired enforcer then broke down what led to the altercation, which has been viewed millions of times since being posted on social media two weekends ago.
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'We watched him tee off, I didn't know really what situation he was in,' Tarnasky began. 'He hit a tee shot 10, 12 yards. Took a mulligan and I didn't really pay attention.'
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But after Tarnasky played the hole, a marshal at the course came and told them about potential trouble with the first group.
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Tarnasky told the marshal that while he believed the group was just 'having fun,' if he caught up to them he would tell them to settle down and 'stay respectful to the staff and other golfers.'
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He also said that the drunken man had tried to fight another golfer ahead of them after having hit a ball close to a group — which Tarnasky knew — on the following hole.
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Things came to a head when the groups met at the 15th hole — where the viral video took place.
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'By the time these guys take 45 more minutes to tee off on 15,' Tarnasky says before Biz jumps in to ask how long it has been taking to play each hole.
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'We're at like 20, 22, 25 minutes a hole,' Tarnasky said. 'We've jammed up the 15 tee box, I'm behind my buddy, he's a little tentative because these guys … I don't know what's going on there.
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We got the exclusive breakdown of the viral golf fight from The 'BANG BANG BANG' man himself Nick Tarnasky💥🤛 https://t.co/lkuEY8QtHs pic.twitter.com/o8Q6B9BlQm
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) July 15, 2025
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'So I rolled up and I said, 'Hey guys, we've gotta get moving' and that instantly set him off and he's doing the fist-clenching and pumping his arms.
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'That's where the altercation starts that's on the video.'
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The two-and-a-half-minute clip, which was posted to Reddit by user YEGG35, shows Tarnasky, wearing a white shirt, arguing with two other golfers on a cart path beside a tee box.
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'Let's get going,' Tarnasky says to the two, 'or you can play behind us all and you can take all the f***ing time you want.'
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The man in the tee box wearing a black-and-white Hawaiian shirt — later identified as Trevor Ogilvie — appeared to get triggered, standing up and walking towards the group, telling them to, 'Go cry about it.'
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Insults and threats fly between the two before Ogilvie charges at Tarnasky.
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It doesn't end well for the slow player, who is easily roughed up and tossed into a nearby water hazard. After he gets back up, he again comes at his foe with disastrous results.
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Tarnasky grabs Ogilvie by the shirt and lands two punches to his face – yelling 'bang' for dramatic effect as he sends him to the ground.
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Seemingly not content with the damage received, Ogilvie stands up and again comes at the large man, only to be greeted by three more punches and three more 'bangs.'
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After Ogilvie got up off the ground again, Tarnasky proceeded to toss him several feet through the air and down a hill.
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At this point, the man's friend steps in to keep his buddy from any further punishment.
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Bissonnette also asked about the course and how the man was able to get to the point of intoxication that he was at that evening.
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'I've never seen these guys,' said Tarnasky, who added that he has been a member of the club for years. 'I don't know why they decided maybe Friday night is the time we're going to come get obliterated and start looking for any type of person on the course that will fight me.
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'I don't understand that mindset.'
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Bissonnette also asked Tarnasky about the thing from the clip that everyone is talking about: The hilarious exclamation of 'BANG!' that the former player added to every punch landed on his golf course foe.
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'I was just trying to have fun,' Tarnasky said with a chuckle. 'I'm fighting at a golf course … I just thought this might be a blast, have some fun with it.'
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In a video posted to Facebook and Instagram and shared on X, Ogilvie, apologized for instigating the incident and blamed his drinking for the attack.
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'Not my finest moment, I know,' Ogilvie said in a selfie-style video. 'Played 36 holes of golf, drank way too much and my mouth ran faster than my brain.'
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Tarnasky reportedly is under investigation over the incident by the minor hockey association where he coaches.
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Red Deer Minor Hockey — where the retired tough guy coaches an under-17 squad — told TMZ in a statement that it has seen the video and is looking into the incident.