More details surfaced as former NHL enforcer Link Gaetz is wanted by police and hockey fans are stunned
Link Gaetz and coach George Burnett are back in the same sentence after police in British Columbia named Gaetz in an outstanding warrant.
That is a jarring turn for a player still remembered in old hockey circles as one of the wildest names to pass through Cape Breton. The story now is not nostalgia. It is a warrant and two criminal charges.
Maple Ridge RCMP said Gaetz, 57, has been charged with assault and mischief under $5,000. Police also said they are asking the public for help locating him.
The allegation dates back to Sept. 17, 2025, at around 2:45 p.m. in Maple Ridge. RCMP said the case involved an unprovoked incident with a taxi driver.
Police said the driver picked up the suspect at an establishment, drove to another location, and was then attacked after being told to stop the vehicle. Investigators say the taxi camera and windshield were also damaged before the suspect fled.
That is the part that lands hard. This is not some old hockey story getting dusted off. It is an active police matter with Gaetz still being sought.
Gaetz's hockey name still carries history in Atlantic Canada because he played 21 games for the 1993-94 Cape Breton Oilers. Burnett was behind that bench that season.
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Former NHL player Link Gaetz is facing criminal charges and police are asking for help finding him
Gaetz was a second-round pick, 40th overall, in 1988. He later played in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks.
His NHL run was short, but his profile never really faded. Hockey-Reference lists him at 65 NHL games, and that kind of past is why a police bulletin tied to his name moves quickly through the sport.
There is also a local layer here. Cape Breton fans remember the old Oilers years, and Gaetz's name is part of that archive whether people like it or not. A warrant tied to a former player pulls that history back into view.
The key point is still the legal one. These are charges and allegations, not a conviction, and police are the ones now asking the public for information on his whereabouts.
A tweet that once went viral has started making the rounds again among hockey fans.
The post highlighted one of the most infamous draft-day stories in NHL history involving Link Gaetz. According to the tweet, Gaetz arrived at the 1988 NHL Draft with two black eyes after reportedly getting into a bar fight the night before.
The story became even more fitting when you consider what followed. Gaetz went on to rack up 412 penalty minutes in just 65 NHL games, earning a reputation as one of hockey's toughest enforcers.
Years later, the tweet has resurfaced online and is once again generating reactions from fans who can't believe the story actually happened.
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RCMP described Gaetz as 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds in their public notice. That level of detail tells you they want this file moved, not just noted.
For hockey fans, the name Link Gaetz once meant fights, chaos, and an outsized reputation. Right now, it means something far more serious: a former Oilers name back in the news because police are still trying to find him.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 6, 2026
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