Paul Bissonnette, a former NHL player and pundit, reportedly suffered a beating at an Arizona restaurant, leading to his hospitalization.
Bissonnette, 39, was at Houston’s restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday, Nov. 24, when he noticed “a bit of a ruckus going on in the bar,” he claimed in a video posted to X the next day. The restaurant’s workers asked a group of inebriated males he spotted to leave.
When one of the guys reportedly “put his hands on” the manager, Bissonnette claims he intervened and seized him.
“I said, ‘Sir, if you continue to harass and assault the staff, we’re going to have problems,” Bissonnette stated in the video.
He alleges that this triggered an aggressive response from the man and the group he was with, adding that the situation “escalated extremely quickly.” Bissonnette claims he battled seven individuals between the restaurant and the parking lot, although police only detained six as a result of the encounter.
Bissonnette stated that he was hit in the head and “got taken down a couple of times,” but did not lose consciousness. He claimed that the hospital sent him for treatment after he fled to the CVS next door.
The altercation lasted three to four minutes, he claimed, but the escalation of events inside the restaurant allowed the police time to respond.
Thanks for your calls & messages. Love you fuckers. Had a blast getting to record @spittinchiclets today and share some laughs with the gang. See you tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5WOxkxARvx
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) November 26, 2024
“There was an altercation inside the restaurant with six adult men and management,” Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis told Fox 10 Phoenix. According to reports, Paul Bissonnette attempted to help management calm the guys and persuade them to leave. The situation escalated when the guys attacked Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside the café.
In the video, Bissonnette displayed minor injuries to his face, including scratches and cuts on his cheekbones, but said he was alright.
In the most recent episode of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, which debuted on November 26, the former NHL player discussed the incident.
Scottsdale police have not published the identities of the males detained.