Ex-NHL Player Injured in Steakhouse Assault

Paul Bissonnette, now a TNT analyst, recounts incident that led to 6 arrests
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 26, 2024 11:33 AM CST
Ex-NHL Player Injured in Steakhouse Assault
A screenshot of Paul Bissonnette.   (YouTube / Spittin' Chiclets)

A former NHL player ended up at the hospital after an assault in a steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona, reports Arizona Sports. Paul Bissonnette, now a TNT analyst and co-host of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, explains in a tweeted video that he went to the assistance of a manager in the restaurant who was being harassed by a group of male diners.

  • "You could tell he was a little shocked and surprised and stunned," says the 39-year-old Bissonnette, per the Athletic. "It's a family restaurant. I don't think there was anybody in there who could go maybe like help him out. I went over, I just grabbed the guy's arm that was on him, I said 'Sir, if you continue to harass and assault the staff, we're going to have problems.' And then they just started chucking, so it escalated extremely quickly."

Bissonnette says he ended up on the ground at various points as the fight spilled into a parking lot outside, and was kicked in the head but didn't lose consciousness. He describes the group as a "bunch of drunk golfers" who got angry when one was asked to leave the restaurant. He thinks he fought with seven men, and police later arrested six and charged them with assault and disorderly conduct, reports the AP. Bissonnette played in the NHL from 2008-2014, mostly with the Arizona Coyotes. He says he wasn't seriously injured in the fight but was taken to the hospital for an evaluation. (More NHL stories.)

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