NHL Personality Paul Bissonnette Attacked by Group at Scottsdale Restaurant: ‘Took Some, Gave More’
Popular hockey podcaster, host and former NHL player Paul Bissonnette was taken to a hospital on Sunday after being attacked by several men at a family restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz.
In a three-minute video posted on XBissonnette said the altercation inside and outside the Houston restaurant occurred after he observed a group of guests causing problems with the restaurant manager. Bissonnette, 39, said he regularly came to eat at the establishment and tried to intervene after a member of the group grabbed the manager.
“You could tell he was a little bit shocked, surprised and bewildered,” Bissonnette said. “It’s a family restaurant. I don’t think there was anyone in there that could possibly help him. I went over and just grabbed the arm of the guy who was sitting on him. I said, ‘Sir, if you continue to harass and abuse the staff, we will be in trouble.’
“And then they just started throwing, so it escalated extremely quickly.”
Bissonnette said he fought seven people in total. Six of those men were arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct, according to Scottsdale police. Police confirmed Bissonnette’s story in a statement The athletic, which described an altercation that “escalated to the men assaulting Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside the restaurant.”
That group knocked the former NHL tough guy to the ground a few times, according to Bissonnette, but he did not lose consciousness. He thanked the police and hospital staff for their quick response and care.
“All’s well, guys,” Bissonnette said. “It sucks. I got kicked in the face a few times, but it could have been a lot worse.”
Bissonnette is part of the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast and details his experiences in an episode coming out Tuesday. He is also a panelist on TNT’s national television coverage and indicated he would be in the studio for Wednesday’s doubleheader.
The veteran of 202 NHL games with Pittsburgh and Phoenix was clearly shaken by the altercation with a group of men he thought were playing golf earlier in the day.
“Just bad guys,” Bissonnette said. “Way too drunk, and I don’t know what else they had in their system. Yes, I am very, very angry with these guys and I would like their names to be released and for them to pay the bill. Just unacceptable behavior in a family restaurant just because they couldn’t get another cocktail and didn’t want to hear ‘no’ for an answer.
Police have not identified those arrested.
As frightening as the situation was, Bissonnette felt he could hold his own in an outnumbered situation.
“I took a few,” he said. “Give more.”
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(Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images before the match)
