Wild: Gavin McKenna KO’s guy at the bar, had the charges dropped, then set a PSU point record while hitting the McGregor Celly

Let’s just walk through the last few weeks of Gavin McKenna’s life because it is genuinely one of the better storylines in sports right now.

A guy at a bar insulted his mom. Gavin McKenna knocked him out. Headlines immediately screamed he was facing up to 20 years if convicted. For about 48 hours it looked like a consensus number one NHL draft pick might have a real problem on his hands.

Then the full story came out. The guy completely deserved it. Public opinion flipped almost instantly. People weren’t just sympathizing with Gavin McKenna, they were saying his draft stock went up, which is a remarkable thing to say about a player who was already the consensus top pick in his class.

Within days the charges were dropped entirely.

Now fast forward to this week. First game back on home ice. Penn State is hanging 11 goals on Ohio State. Gavin McKenna sets a Penn State single game scoring record with 8 points, one goal and seven assists.

That’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 points for Gavin McKenna against Ohio State.

Here’s the highlight pack:https://t.co/9iZQbCrWfV pic.twitter.com/jI0j8G0sLS

— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) February 21, 2026

After that goal he hits the Conor McGregor celebration in front of everybody. As a direct reference to the fact that he broke a guy’s jaw at a bar for disrespecting his mother.

Gavin McKenna with the McGregor Celly

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE WEAPON! IT’S GAVIN MCGREGOR NOW BOYS 🤣

pic.twitter.com/vVBrekqjyY

— Game Notes (@GameNotesBud) February 21, 2026

Gavin McKenna WENT OFF tonight, setting a new single-game program record with EIGHT POINTS 🔥🔥

pic.twitter.com/krRAqcb7IX

— Game Notes (@GameNotesBud) February 21, 2026

The crowd went with it. Because of course they did.

Here is the thing about McKenna that makes all of this land the way it does. He has never been the tough guy. He is not known for physicality or dropping the gloves. He is known for being one of the most skilled hockey players to come through the college ranks in years.

So when the world found out that this immensely talented, relatively quiet kid will also knock you clean out if you step out of line toward his family, that adds a whole dimension nobody was expecting. Generational skill plus will knock a guy out when it counts. Sign everybody up for that.

He also reportedly gave his mom a heads up that he was planning to do the celebration. Great hockey player. Even better son.

Gavin McKenna continues on the Conor McGregor celebration

Says he wanted to do it at Michigan, but called his parents to say he was doing it this weekend pic.twitter.com/8mwq4kqqRe

— Evan Smith (@EvanRGSmith) February 21, 2026

The NCAA tournament cannot get here fast enough. Gavin McKenna is going to be must-watch television every single game.

Join The Chase