Gavin McKenna has had a whirlwind of a few weeks. The Penn State University forward was caught in the middle of controversy after he punched a man for allegedly disrespecting his mother at a pub on the college campus after their game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31.
McKenna was on the verge of losing his chance to be the No.1 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft after he was charged with felony assault for trying to “cause serious bodily harm.” But those charges were dropped after further investigation came to light.
The 18-year-old has since been on a heater. On Friday, he put up a school record eight points (one goal, seven assists) in the Nittany Lions’ 11-4 win. After his power play goal with 9:41 remaining in the first period, McKenna broke out into a wild “Billionaire Strut” celebration, popularized by mixed-martial arts fighter Conor McGregor.
McKenna was seen pulling out the signature walk with flailing arms near the boards as he gave his team a 2-0 lead in the game. McGregor reacted to the replicated celebration on his X account.
McGregor has had several charges filed against him and several charges dropped for inappropriate actions. The most notable felony charges that were dropped against him include a strong armed robery and felony criminal mischief in 2019 after an altercation with a fan that resulted in him smashing the fan’s home.
He was also charged with a felony criminal mischief in 2018 after he along with nearly 20 others vandalized the bus of fellow UFC fight Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bus and his entourage who were inside. The felony charge was eventually reduced.
After the game, McKenna revealed that he had permission from his parents to go ahead with the planned celebration.
“I was just having fun out there. A lot of stuff going on in my life right now,” he said. “I thought about it in Michigan, but didn’t get it done there. I called my parents last night and said if I score I’m doing it. And they had a good laugh. The opportunity came so I did it.”
McGregor added to his remarks, calling him “The Mac”, referring to the “Mystic Mac” nickname he had garnered while fighting in the UFC for years.
PSU fans shout custom Conor McGregor chant for Gavin McKenna
Before Conor McGregor’s marquee boxing bout against Floyd Mayweather, an Irish musician Mick Konstantin wrote a song in his support, titled “There’s Only One Conor McGregor.” It’s lyrics read: “There’s only one Conor McGregor, and there’s no fighter better/And he’s going to knock out Floyd Mayweather/So Floyd watch out cos the Irish are coming/You can talk all you want, buy you’ll do nothin!”
The song was popularized and used by McGregor’s fans as one of his official songs and chants during his fights. Penn State University fans on Friday adopted it for themselves and their star forward. According to the PSU Collegian, in their Friday column, The Roar Zone, the college’s student section chanted:
““There’s only one Gavin McKenna. There’s only one Gavin McKenna. He’s coming for you, either a five or a two, walking in McKenna Wonderland.”
McKenna put on yet another show in their back-to-back game against the same opposition on Saturday. He scored the overtime winner to earn a 5-4 win for his team and earn the sweep against the Ohio Buckeyes in the season series.
Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy
