McKenna to Prison

[Sunny's Teeth]

Unofficial report I saw this morning said that the guy was drunk and harassed McKenna and his mom during a team event. Guy gets kicked out. Waits in the parking lot for McKenna and accosted him when MxKenna left the bar. McKenna gave him a quick one-two and knocked the guy out.

If this is the true order of events then the charges are completely malicious. That's slam dunk self defense. You don't have to wait for the other guy to get a few swings in before you can defend yourself.

Not so fast....the precedent was set when Cameron Poe was defending himself outside of a bar against ruffians (Con Air) and still went to prison because his hands were considered lethal weapons....

That’s like the worst movie ever and I love every second of it.

[retirednot]

I hate to preach but if you don't know the facts, withhold judgement or else you could have to have this blow back in your face. I understand some of the sentiment expressed in the thread but this is like I'm in Minnesota. I trust Army will do his due diligence.

[LGB73]

We know so little of the circumstances that it's impossible to judge. Hopefully there are some videos.

If he jumped the guy from behind and kept beating on him while he's down, that's one thing and I would hope he did some time. Another if it's words that degenerated into shoving and then punches being thrown, that's quite different and wouldn't expect much of anything to come from it.

[Galatians221jb1]

What I heard is that he broke a kid's jaw at a college bar on Jan 31. Don't know the circumstances of that. I doubt this will have any major impact on his draft position from what I have read.

The felony aspect will almost certainly be plead down. They are just stating the statutory maximum in the blurb above.

What I read was that some kid called McKenna's mom a wh**e. not sure if Mom was with him. He slugged him and broke his jaw. Hard to be critical o a young man defending the honor of his mother. Makes me hope that the Blues can pick him in the draft. Hard to be upset with hockey players who you'd better not mess with.

[ZouMiz2424]

This makes me hope the Blues win the lottery and can draft him even more. Tired of having passive guys like Kyrou and Thomas

[MiamiLaw]

What I heard is that he broke a kid's jaw at a college bar on Jan 31. Don't know the circumstances of that. I doubt this will have any major impact on his draft position from what I have read.

The felony aspect will almost certainly be plead down. They are just stating the statutory maximum in the blurb above.

What I read was that some kid called McKenna's mom a wh**e. not sure if Mom was with him. He slugged him and broke his jaw. Hard to be critical o a young man defending the honor of his mother. Makes me hope that the Blues can pick him in the draft. Hard to be upset with hockey players who you'd better not mess with.

Yea that's what I've heard now as well. There was a Penn State team gathering at this bar after a game and some players' families were there (including McKenna's mother). This other guy there was badgering them all night and talking smack about his mom. That guy got kicked out of the bar but actually waited outside until McKenna left and continued to run his mouth. That's when he got his (bleep) beat.

If true, then I am not even sure there is a crime here. You don't have to wait for someone who is obviously being aggressive towards you to throw the first punch before you do. Of course, there is a lot of assumptions/conjecture here.

[dhsux]

What I heard is that he broke a kid's jaw at a college bar on Jan 31. Don't know the circumstances of that. I doubt this will have any major impact on his draft position from what I have read.

The felony aspect will almost certainly be plead down. They are just stating the statutory maximum in the blurb above.

What I read was that some kid called McKenna's mom a wh**e. not sure if Mom was with him. He slugged him and broke his jaw. Hard to be critical o a young man defending the honor of his mother. Makes me hope that the Blues can pick him in the draft. Hard to be upset with hockey players who you'd better not mess with.

Yea that's what I've heard now as well. There was a Penn State team gathering at this bar after a game and some players' families were there (including McKenna's mother). This other guy there was badgering them all night and talking smack about his mom. That guy got kicked out of the bar but actually waited outside until McKenna left and continued to run his mouth. That's when he got his (bleep) beat.

If true, then I am not even sure there is a crime here. You don't have to wait for someone who is obviously being aggressive towards you to throw the first punch before you do. Of course, there is a lot of assumptions/conjecture here.

IF TRUE...I agree with you 100%.

Here's a bit more info...not quite official.

https://wjactv.com/sports/penn-state/co ... ect-felony

[LGB73]

What I heard is that he broke a kid's jaw at a college bar on Jan 31. Don't know the circumstances of that. I doubt this will have any major impact on his draft position from what I have read.

The felony aspect will almost certainly be plead down. They are just stating the statutory maximum in the blurb above.

What I read was that some kid called McKenna's mom a wh**e. not sure if Mom was with him. He slugged him and broke his jaw. Hard to be critical o a young man defending the honor of his mother. Makes me hope that the Blues can pick him in the draft. Hard to be upset with hockey players who you'd better not mess with.

Yea that's what I've heard now as well. There was a Penn State team gathering at this bar after a game and some players' families were there (including McKenna's mother). This other guy there was badgering them all night and talking smack about his mom. That guy got kicked out of the bar but actually waited outside until McKenna left and continued to run his mouth. That's when he got his (bleep) beat.

If true, then I am not even sure there is a crime here. You don't have to wait for someone who is obviously being aggressive towards you to throw the first punch before you do. Of course, there is a lot of assumptions/conjecture here.

Speech actually isn't assault until it poses credible risk of threat to the person. Depends a lot on what the person was say I guess.

As I taught my kids, treat 99% people in your world like a drunk homeless person hurling insults at you. It really doesn't matter what is said to you because the source isn't relevant. Don't empower random people and give them control over how you feel or live you life.

[BalotelliMassive]

Speech actually isn't assault until it poses credible risk of threat to the person. Depends a lot on what the person was say I guess.

As I taught my kids, treat 99% people in your world like a drunk homeless person hurling insults at you. It really doesn't matter what is said to you because the source isn't relevant. Don't empower random people and give them control over how you feel or live you life.

https://nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/p ... ed-n-word/

[Army's Mom]

Lots of rumors running rampant but several people seem to be backing a story that this other kid may have been verbally assaulting McKenna’s mom.

that alone doesn't justify physical violence. Now if there is some pushing and shoving going on, and there's a bit of instigation, I can get on board with people being dumb. But this type of violence can't be unchecked. there's a time, place, and reasoning. And being an underage "celebrity" prospect at a bar, you have to know the pitfalls and risks you are taking. You get a lot of people hyping you up, and you are going to have haters bringing you down. that's life. it's always been that way as well on college campuses. That's not a new development.

This.

I couldn't care less that he got into a fight.
Don't care that he broke another guy's jaw.
Don't really care whether or not he was provoked - I assume he was.

It's a boneheaded move to get into that fight in a public place you're not even supposed to be at, where you're already breaking the rules, and where there are an infinite number of witnesses and cameras likely available. It's the lack of awareness of the situation that bothers me.

The kid is a meathead. And that will always hold him back, no matter how great his tools are.

No clue how it started or the details so I'll reserve judgment until details come out, if they ever do. But, do you know how many jack*ss twenty-somethings there are in this country who get loaded in bars every weekend and when they see someone their age (perhaps for the first time) who has real talent and a tremendous future that's likely far more promising than they'll ever have, the alcohol makes them think "this guys no better than I am!" and they start talking sh*t?

There's probably 100 at every college bar on any given weekend.

For Gavin's sake, don't like the fact the arresting officer added the indifference multiplier although, tbh, that doesn't mean a d*mn thing. A rookie cop got me locked up one night and wrote in his report "drug trafficker likely with manufacturing tools in the car" because I had a tiny, supplement scale in my car and that was literally the only thing I had and why he arrested me!

Man, I really despise so much of our hypocritical government, but I'm getting off topic. lol

Thats fine, I assume the "victim" was the instigator, and am fairly certain the cops/prosecutor are looking to make an example of a celeb (or scare him straight, either way it reeks of them going after him).

He still should have walked away. Unlike most 18 yr olds, he has advisors in his ear warning him about the millions he stands to lose by getting labeled.

Most kids dont have a support system. He does. Every reason to know better, but instead he risks everything over a drunken bar fight.

Kid is a moron. Period. Plenty of smart kids get into alcohol trouble, doesn't mean we should invest a pick on them.

With our luck, we'll draft him and he'll shatter his hand on a team outing and we wind up with EJ 2.0.

[Pierre McGuire]

Lots of rumors running rampant but several people seem to be backing a story that this other kid may have been verbally assaulting McKenna’s mom.

that alone doesn't justify physical violence. Now if there is some pushing and shoving going on, and there's a bit of instigation, I can get on board with people being dumb. But this type of violence can't be unchecked. there's a time, place, and reasoning. And being an underage "celebrity" prospect at a bar, you have to know the pitfalls and risks you are taking. You get a lot of people hyping you up, and you are going to have haters bringing you down. that's life. it's always been that way as well on college campuses. That's not a new development.

This.

I couldn't care less that he got into a fight.
Don't care that he broke another guy's jaw.
Don't really care whether or not he was provoked - I assume he was.

It's a boneheaded move to get into that fight in a public place you're not even supposed to be at, where you're already breaking the rules, and where there are an infinite number of witnesses and cameras likely available. It's the lack of awareness of the situation that bothers me.

The kid is a meathead. And that will always hold him back, no matter how great his tools are.

No clue how it started or the details so I'll reserve judgment until details come out, if they ever do. But, do you know how many jack*ss twenty-somethings there are in this country who get loaded in bars every weekend and when they see someone their age (perhaps for the first time) who has real talent and a tremendous future that's likely far more promising than they'll ever have, the alcohol makes them think "this guys no better than I am!" and they start talking sh*t?

There's probably 100 at every college bar on any given weekend.

For Gavin's sake, don't like the fact the arresting officer added the indifference multiplier although, tbh, that doesn't mean a d*mn thing. A rookie cop got me locked up one night and wrote in his report "drug trafficker likely with manufacturing tools in the car" because I had a tiny, supplement scale in my car and that was literally the only thing I had and why he arrested me!

Man, I really despise so much of our hypocritical government, but I'm getting off topic. lol

Thats fine, I assume the "victim" was the instigator, and am fairly certain the cops/prosecutor are looking to make an example of a celeb (or scare him straight, either way it reeks of them going after him).

He still should have walked away. Unlike most 18 yr olds, he has advisors in his ear warning him about the millions he stands to lose by getting labeled.

Most kids dont have a support system. He does. Every reason to know better, but instead he risks everything over a drunken bar fight.

Kid is a moron. Period. Plenty of smart kids get into alcohol trouble, doesn't mean we should invest a pick on them.

With our luck, we'll draft him and he'll shatter his hand on a team outing and we wind up with EJ 2.0.

Gooky talk. Another kid mouthing off…[F)ork A)round and F)ind O)ut]. Props to McKenna for handling his business. I honestly had no idea he had that in him. I hope he’s a Blue come draft night

[blues2112]

Thats fine, I assume the "victim" was the instigator, and am fairly certain the cops/prosecutor are looking to make an example of a celeb (or scare him straight, either way it reeks of them going after him).

He still should have walked away. Unlike most 18 yr olds, he has advisors in his ear warning him about the millions he stands to lose by getting labeled.

Most kids dont have a support system. He does. Every reason to know better, but instead he risks everything over a drunken bar fight.

Kid is a moron. Period. Plenty of smart kids get into alcohol trouble, doesn't mean we should invest a pick on them.

With our luck, we'll draft him and he'll shatter his hand on a team outing and we wind up with EJ 2.0.

Other than his age, can you verify any of this?

[George Zipp]

We still don't know the story but let's assume for argument sake the versions being thrown around out there are true and the dude called Gavin's Mom a whore, and then waited for him outside the bar to continue the berating.

I'm very likely the only Prosecuting Attorney in this thread. I can tell you from a legal standpoint, whether it's PA, IL or MO, that having someone call your Mom a whore doesn't give you the legal right to cold cock someone. You can defend yourself based on words of others in very limited circumstances. "I'm going to kill you" or "I'm going to beat the [shirt] out of you." Beyond that you are just being goaded into trouble and for us non hockey players you are so much better off either turning the other cheek or at least waiting until the other party makes the first move.

Now if there is evidence that the other guy made any kind of threatening move or gesture towards McKenna then all bets are off. Like I said upthread there is almost 100% chance this is going to be on video. Video is everywhere now. CCTV and phones. That should answer many questions.

The whore stuff will likely give him favorable public perception (see this thread and twitter) and it should help him get a reasonable plea deal. Down the road it is going to make anyone involved in a civil lawsuit (that is where this is for sure heading) more sympathetic to McKenna and make the victim look like a fool. Jurors in civil suits typically don't like that.

If this was my case I'm not going to go out of my way to hammer this Defendant but I'm not going to let him walk because somebody was calling his Mom names. Imagine that will be the position the DA's in PA take.

[John Cocktoastin]

We still don't know the story but let's assume for argument sake the versions being thrown around out there are true and the dude called Gavin's Mom a whore, and then waited for him outside the bar to continue the berating.

I'm very likely the only Prosecuting Attorney in this thread. I can tell you from a legal standpoint, whether it's PA, IL or MO, that having someone call your Mom a whore doesn't give you the legal right to cold cock someone. You can defend yourself based on words of others in very limited circumstances. "I'm going to kill you" or "I'm going to beat the [shirt] out of you." Beyond that you are just being goaded into trouble and for us non hockey players you are so much better off either turning the other cheek or at least waiting until the other party makes the first move.

Now if there is evidence that the other guy made any kind of threatening move or gesture towards McKenna then all bets are off. Like I said upthread there is almost 100% chance this is going to be on video. Video is everywhere now. CCTV and phones. That should answer many questions.

The whore stuff will likely give him favorable public perception (see this thread and twitter) and it should help him get a reasonable plea deal. Down the road it is going to make anyone involved in a civil lawsuit (that is where this is for sure heading) more sympathetic to McKenna and make the victim look like a fool. Jurors in civil suits typically don't like that.

If this was my case I'm not going to go out of my way to hammer this Defendant but I'm not going to let him walk because somebody was calling his Mom names. Imagine that will be the position the DA's in PA take.

Thank you for the expertise. Much appreciated and very well explained. Cameras will be key and will clear up a lot. Can't believe the folks at TMZ haven't "obtained" these yet.

[BalotelliMassive]

If this was my case I'm not going to go out of my way to hammer this Defendant but I'm not going to let him walk because somebody was calling his Mom names. Imagine that will be the position the DA's in PA take.

Of course it depends on the location...but this is just wack.

https://nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/p ... ed-n-word/

[LGB73]

If this was my case I'm not going to go out of my way to hammer this Defendant but I'm not going to let him walk because somebody was calling his Mom names. Imagine that will be the position the DA's in PA take.

Of course it depends on the location...but this is just wack.

https://nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/p ... ed-n-word/

The headline of that article might not be the reason the jury let him off. It did say in the article the guy that got stabbed started the physical scuffle. Wouldn't be the first time the media took a dishonest spin on a story.

As for McKenna, he's in for a rough ride his first time in the playoffs. How many guys is he going to have to fight who start chirping about his mom to get him off his game?