[News] Gavin McKenna facing charges for assault UPD: felony charge withdrawn

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

I can't discern if this tough guy narrative is just a general belief from many folks in this thread, which is astounding to me, or if it's just defending a potential Flame at all costs?

Like I don't know anyone that would just drop a guy based on this. Was the dude being a jerk? Abso########lutely, but the 'lesson' you teach this guy pales in comparison to the risk you're exposing yourself to. The vast majority of the population show restraint in these moments, not this eye for an eye highschool BS.

Factoring in how much these guys have a magnifying glass on their every action in a DRAFT year? It's ludicrous to defend this, and this kid should rightfully be pressed on this during every pre-draft interview.

People want to call this grit or truculence? No, it's stupidity.

You know you're talking about a high school aged kid doing this right? He literally experienced highschool BS in real time...

[howard_the_duck]

Yes, he's high school age, but athletes are held to a different standard.

Don't know about you at 17/18, but I wasn't sitting on a lottery ticket where my every movement had the chance to impact my outcome.

And also related to the HS comment, it's mostly aimed at folks on here who still would have this mentality.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by blankall

A lot of facts flying around:

That sounds like more than two punches.

Who knows what the truth is at this point. Some reports stating that McKenna punched him in the bar and others stating the guy waited outside for him.

Not necessarily. It could be he went unconscious and fell right on his face. It’s why I’ve never thought a bar fight was really worth it. Person goes down the wrong way and they are seriously hurt.

[devo22]

of course he should be pressed on this. And of course this will follow him for a while. But let's not pretend that an 18-year-old kid can't learn from such a mistake and mature as a human being.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

Highschool age but athletes are held to a different standard.

Don't know about you at 17/18, but I wasn't sitting on a lottery ticket where my every movement had the chance to impact my outcome.

They also get held to a different standard in the courts too. He's not gonna get any punishment out of this and might lose a million or two out his career hundreds of millions in earnings.

[howard_the_duck]

Originally Posted by devo22

of course he should be pressed on this. And of course this will follow him for a while. But let's not pretend that an 18-year-old kid can't learn from such a mistake and mature as a human being.

Not saying it's not a teachable moment. But it will and probably should bring some uncertainty to teams who had him as a surefire top 2 pick.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Sounds like the guy who got knocked out deserved it.
Doesn't mean McKenna made a good decision, or shouldn't have made a different choice, but it's clear which of the 2 guys in the altercation was the problem to me (if reports are accurate).

Put it this way; if my son was McKenna, I'd be disappointed he didn't keep his cool and be the bigger man. Hoping he learns that the risks of defending his mother like this is just too large.

If my son was the other kid, I'd be questioning everything I tought him and where I went wrong raising such a POS.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Sounds like the guy who got knocked out deserved it.
Doesn't mean McKenna made a good decision, or shouldn't have made a different choice, but it's clear which of the 2 guys in the altercation was the problem to me (if reports are accurate).

Put it this way; if my son was McKenna, I'd be disappointed he didn't keep his cool and be the bigger man. Hoping he learns that the risks of defending his mother like this is just too large.

If my son was the other kid, I'd be questioning everything I tought him and where I went wrong raising such a POS.

it sounds like both the victim, and, mckenna, are #######s. only one has a broken jaw.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

-mom being harassed
-waiting outside after being kicked out to ambush him/his family

Those two points negate a lot of issues I have with McKenna taking action.

He still should have refrained, but f###, im not sure if 18 year old me would've had the restraint either.

The caveat is did he go down after the first punch and then get punched again or was it a 2 punch KO?

As long as he didn't attack him further after going down I think im fine with it.

The "victim" was given the chance to walk away unscathed and circled back to cause trouble.

Well, you are assuming he was waiting outside to ambush him. Maybe he was waiting for an Uber?

We really have little solid facts, other than McKenna punched a guy.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Well, you are assuming he was waiting outside to ambush him. Maybe he was waiting for an Uber?

We really have little solid facts, other than McKenna punched a guy.

What do you think is more likely? Knowing drunk dudes that have a beef with one another.

Gavin wasnt smart here, but do you think he just attacked a guy casually waiting for an Uber, given that he's 5 months out fron being drafted?

We dont have all the facts but it's not hard to connect the dots of what motivates human behavior if you've been one/around them your whole life.

[Lewis_D]

Originally Posted by howard_the_duck

Yes, he's high school age, but athletes are held to a different standard.

Don't know about you at 17/18, but I wasn't sitting on a lottery ticket where my every movement had the chance to impact my outcome.

And also related to the HS comment, it's mostly aimed at folks on here who still would have this mentality.

I guess we're seeing two different things here. I'm not seeing posters in here acting with a 'high school' mentality or using a tough guy narrative, we're just viewing it from the perspective that he's an 18 year old kid in a heat of the moment situation, with alcohol involved. Many of us are just being honest in acknowledging young people can do stupid things and some of us have done similar stupid things as well.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Not necessarily. It could be he went unconscious and fell right on his face. It’s why I’ve never thought a bar fight was really worth it. Person goes down the wrong way and they are seriously hurt.

Definitely. I've seen my fair share of bar fights like a lot of people, including some that resulted in pretty serious injuries. The vast majority of one-punch fights don't end up with injuries this severe. Out of the probably hundreds that happen across the country on any given weekend, I would think for sure only a small percentage require hospitalization and surgery after. On the balance of probabilities, this was more than just a one-punch affair. It was likely at least a two-punch ordeal with the guy hitting the ground hard.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

it sounds like both the victim, and, mckenna, are #######s. only one has a broken jaw.

It sounds like they’re both young and did and said some very dumb things, which has had nasty consequences in both cases.

I don’t know that we can say anything about who either of these guys are as people based on anything we know.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

What do you think is more likely? Knowing drunk dudes that have a beef with one another.

Gavin wasnt smart here, but do you think he just attacked a guy casually waiting for an Uber, given that he's 5 months out fron being drafted?

We dont have all the facts but it's not hard to connect the dots of what motivates human behavior if you've been one/around them your whole life.

There are posts out here that McKenna was also drinking.

What was more likely?

I have no idea, we really have zero facts other than the punch. And an arrest.

And likely some chirping. But chirping is not enough for a punch.

How many people on this board have indicated they would punch out some guy making fun of their mother. And each of them would face criminal charges.

Certainly not enough to draw any firm conclusions.

I think we have chirping and a punch. What we don't know is whether Mckenna felt that he or his family were in imminent danger of physical harm.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by devo22

of course he should be pressed on this. And of course this will follow him for a while. But let's not pretend that an 18-year-old kid can't learn from such a mistake and mature as a human being.

Yeah honestly this doesn't really affect my opinion on drafting McKenna in any way. Maybe I just have a low general opinion of young hockey guys.

Young people make mistakes. Getting into a fight is not smart, I wish more young guys were smart about this but like many dumb and bad things this stuff happens.

And yeah, if you're stronger than you look and catch the other guy off guards 'cause you're also fast and have good reflexes (normal for an athlete), you can absolutely waste someone with a punch, let alone two.

Let the justice system handle it, hope he gets a punishment that fits the crime, but beyond that I don't really care.

[Matty81]

I feel like when this video surfaces it is going to be right up there with the ex goon throwing the drunk in the lake at the red deer golf course popularity wise - some obnoxious drunk getting into the face of a another person and getting KOed is internet catnip

The more that comes up here the less I feel like McKenna is going to have significant blowback career wise. There are photos of the penn state senior who had his jaw broke at the hospital circulating on X now and this is pretty far from a vicious beating.

Not smart by him there's no doubt, and I agree with those saying meeting words with violence is wrong, but I also feel like 80-90% of 18 year old boys take that swing on a night out if someone went as far as the idiot did. Maybe my friends I grew up with were not typical but I don't think so.

[Lewis_D]

Originally Posted by Itse

Let the justice system handle it, hope he gets a punishment that fits the crime, but beyond that I don't really care.

The US justice system? The country being ran by a racist, senile pedophile? Yeah that's gonna go well for an 18 year old Indigenous Canadian kid.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Sounds like the guy who got knocked out deserved it.
Doesn't mean McKenna made a good decision, or shouldn't have made a different choice, but it's clear which of the 2 guys in the altercation was the problem to me (if reports are accurate).

Put it this way; if my son was McKenna, I'd be disappointed he didn't keep his cool and be the bigger man. Hoping he learns that the risks of defending his mother like this is just too large.

If my son was the other kid, I'd be questioning everything I tought him and where I went wrong raising such a POS.

Kids make mistakes. They always have and always will. In fact everyone makes mistakes.

McKenna will learn from this. So will the dumb ass that was harrassing his mom you would hope.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Not necessarily. It could be he went unconscious and fell right on his face. It’s why I’ve never thought a bar fight was really worth it. Person goes down the wrong way and they are seriously hurt.

Yeah, that or what some have called the "hangmans hook", where someone gets punched just wrong and dies. Sure, that's rare, but obviously a horrific consequence from something that is probably dumb in the first place.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I feel like when this video surfaces it is going to be right up there with the ex goon throwing the drunk in the lake at the red deer golf course popularity wise - some obnoxious drunk getting into the face of a another person and getting KOed is internet catnip

The more that comes up here the less I feel like McKenna is going to have significant blowback career wise. There are photos of the penn state senior who had his jaw broke at the hospital circulating on X now and this is pretty far from a vicious beating.

Not smart by him there's no doubt, and I agree with those saying meeting words with violence is wrong, but I also feel like 80-90% of 18 year old boys take that swing on a night out if someone went as far as the idiot did. Maybe my friends I grew up with were not typical but I don't think so.

I’m surprised none of his team mates were there. If I was out with my old teams in a situation like with their families that dummy would have been dealing with the whole team. He’s lucky he just got punched twice.

The problem with going and looking for trouble is that it eventually finds you.