Retired NHL left winger Paul Bissonnette was hospitalized in Scottsdale, Ariz. after being assaulted on Sunday night, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
The Welland, Ont. native was allegedly assaulted by six men at a restaurant called Houston’s in Scottsdale. The Scottsdale Police Department reportedly told Fox 10 the situation began inside the restaurant. Bissonnette was attempting to help the restaurant’s staff in an altercation.
Police told Fox 10 that the situation escalated from that point on and Bissonnette was allegedly assaulted inside and outside of the building. As a result, the 39-year-old was injured and was sent to the hospital. Although police did not reveal specifics of Bissonnette’s injuries, they believe his injuries are not life-threatening.
All six men involved in the assault have been arrested for assault and disorderly conduct. The men were not identified.
Bissonnette is currently a hockey media personality. He is a co-host on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. He’s also an analyst for NHL on TNT, which has been airing since October 2021. Bissonnette is also a regular on social media, specifically X, where he made multiple posts Monday evening. (Warning: the following X post includes language that may not be suitable for all readers.)
The former enforcer played 202 games in the NHL, racking up a total of 340 penalty minutes. He featured for both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes. Bissonnette scored a total of 22 points in his six-season NHL career.
He spent most of his professional hockey career in the ECHL and AHL. His best season in terms of scoring was in the 2006-07 campaign with the ECHL’s Wheeling Wailers. He also won a Calder Cup as AHL champions with the Manchester Monarchs in 2015.
Bissonnette played one season outside of North America during the partial lockout season in 2012-13. He played 10 games for the Cardiff Devils in the Elite Ice Hockey League of the U.K. He scored 19 points during that short stint.