Paul Bissonnette is used to having to fight guys on the ice, but over the weekend the former NHLer and Barstool Sports personality found himself having to throw down in a Scottsdale, Arizona restaurant.
Bissonnette, who also serves as a studio analyst for TNT’s NHL coverage, was assaulted on Sunday night at the restaurant Houston’s, according to multiple reports.
The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. local time and resulted in the arrest of six men for assault and disorderly conduct, according to Fox 10.
“There was an altercation inside the restaurant with six adult men and the management. Reportedly, Paul Bissonnette tried to help management calm the men and get them to leave. The situation escalated to the men assaulting Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside of the restaurant,” Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis told the outlet.
Five of the individuals are facing misdemeanors and the sixth is looking at a felony.
Bissonnette’s injuries were believed to be non-life-threatening and he was taken to a hospital to be checked out.
Further information about the incident was not available from authorities, but Bissonnette released a video detailing what happened late Monday night.
Bissonnette said he intervened when he saw a group of “drunk golfers” giving the Houston’s staff a hard time, and at one point, he said, one of them got into the face of a manager.
That was when the hockey player got involved and the situation led to them fighting through the restaurant and out into the parking lot.
Authorities insisted only six people were involved, but Bissonnette said seven people had been part of the dustup.
“Just bad dudes. Way too drunk and I don’t know what else they had in their system. I’m very, very angry at these guys and kind of want their names out there and kind of want them to pay the piper,” he said.
“Unacceptable behavior at a family restaurant just because they couldn’t grab another cocktail and didn’t want to hear ‘no’ for an answer. At that point, with the guy all over the manager, I just figured I had to go over. Took some, gave more.”
The former hockey tough guy played for the Coyotes from 2009-14 and appeared in 187 NHL games for the franchise.
He scored seven goals and 14 assists during his time with the then-Phoenix-based hockey team.
The Coyotes relocated to Utah ahead of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Bissonnette launched a blossoming media career following his retirement from hockey.
“Spittin Chiclets” has become one of the most popular hockey podcasts out there and helped boost him to prominence, which led to his current role as an analyst for national broadcasts on TNT.
He had also served as an analyst on the Coyotes local broadcasts before the franchise relocated.