A man who says he’s the golfer who got beat up and thrown into a pond by former NHL player Nick Tarnasky has broken his silence on the wild scrap that went viral in videos posted to social media.
Trevor Ogilvie posted an apology video after he admitted to drinking too much alcohol before the fight erupted at the Alberta Springs Golf Course in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada on July 4.
“Yup, that’s me guys, the guy that got dropped like a bucket of balls in a pond,” Ogilvie began. “Not my finest moment, I know. Looks real bad. Played 36 holes of golf, we drank way too much and my mouth ran faster than my brain.
“All jokes aside guys, I’d like to apologize to all the folks on the course, anyone caught up in it and anyone who had to deal with me that day. I lost my cool and I’ve learned from it. Just one of those days when you should’ve kept the cart on the path, you know? Stay hydrated, keep your stick on the ice, maybe stick to 18 [holes].”
The fight was sparked by an argument over slow play, with Tarnasky accusing Ogilvie and his partner of taking too long in front of them.
“This is f–king bulls–t,” a man in the video says. “They’ve been sitting there for f–king 23 minutes!”
That’s when Ogilvie responds, “f–king cry about it.”
After some more expletive-laden back-and-forth, Ogilvie shoved Tarnasky, who proceeded to toss Ogilvie into a nearby pond.
Warning: Graphic language
When Ogilvie emerged and went back at Tarnasky, the former NHLer punched him to the ground.
Police looked into the matter but weren’t planning to take any action.
Tarnasky, 40, played in parts of five NHL seasons with the Lightning, Predators and Panthers from 2005-10.
He continued his career in the KHL and the AHL, at one point playing for the Rangers’ affiliate in Hartford.
Tarnasky did an interview with former NHLer Paul Bissonnette for the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast to discuss the incident, but it has yet to be released as of Sunday morning.