Former NHL Player Link Gaetz on the Run After Allegedly Attacking a Taxi Driver in Canada

Former NHL player Link Gaetz is on the run after allegedly attacking a taxi driver in British Columbia, Canada. 

Charges were filed against Gaetz, 57, by the Maple Ridge Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Thursday, June 4, in connection to the alleged incident, which occurred in September 2025. 

Gaetz was charged with assault and mischief under $5,000 in the allegedly unprovoked attack. An outstanding arrest warrant was issued in his name and “police are asking for the public’s further assistance in locating him.”

Police issued four photos of Gaetz from the alleged attack and listed the former NHL enforcer as 6’4” and 252 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. 

According to the CBC, Gaetz is accused of “abruptly telling the taxi driver to stop after being picked up, then punching the driver repeatedly in the face and trying to break the vehicle’s security camera before breaking the windshield and fleeing.”

Anyone with information about Gaetz is urged to call the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at 604-463-6251.

Gaetz was drafted in the second round of the 1988 NHL Draft by the Minnesota North Stars. He played 65 games across three seasons with the North Stars and San Jose Sharks, scoring six goals and earning eight assists while racking up 412 penalty minutes. 

In 2003, ESPN the Magazine wrote a story about Gaetz called “The Legend of Link,” which tracked the notorious hockey player’s post-NHL life, alleging that Gaetz had “a drinking problem and a penchant for disappearing acts.”

Gaetz called a four-month prison sentence he served for attacking a Canadian miner “the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“It taught me that I never want to go to jail again,” he told the magazine at the time. 

The miner attack happened in 1999, with an onlooker describing the crazy sequence to ESPN writer Bryant Urstadt. 

“They were drinking and got into a car together, and the guy thought he could tell Link a thing or two,” the observer recalled. “Well, I’ll tell you what. If you’re gonna shoot your mouth off with Link, you’re gonna get it shut. That lad got his face dismembered. He looked like he was wearing a Halloween mask.”

Gaetz told ESPN how his son Quinn, who was born in 2003, provided him with a renewed sense of purpose. 

“My boy is such a wonder,” he said. “I just hope he doesn’t have my genes.”