Ex-NHL player Paul Bissonnette’s defiant reaction after being assaulted at Arizona restaurant
Former professional hockey player Paul Bissonnette has explained what happened leading up to his assault at Houston’s steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona.
On Sunday (November 24) night, six men were arrested for assault and disorderly conduct, where it was reported that there was an argument between the men and the restaurant’s management. Bissonnette had attempted to help the management team calm the men down, but the situation had escalated to the men attacking Bisonnette both inside and outside of the restaurant, according to a statement Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis gave to a local Fox outlet.
The former Arizona Coyotes player has since posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) to share his recollection of events.
“I go to dinner at this place called Houston’s — I go there like three or four times a week. The staff’s incredible, the food’s incredible and, just like good people, I love going there,” he began.
Bissonnette explained that while he was in the restaurant’s dining area, he noticed a few “drunk golfers” who were causing a scene and bothering the staff. One of them then allegedly started to become physical with a manager.
“You could tell he was a little shocked and surprised and stunned,” Bissonnette recalled. “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,” he continued.
The former hockey player claimed that seven men were involved instead of the reported six and that the fight went through the restaurant itself, through the parking lot, and over to a CVS.
“Got taken down a couple times,” he said. “Got boot f***ed a couple of times by the CVS. Luckily didn’t get knocked out. Did go to the hospital, so that’s what everybody is reading about. 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,” Bissonnette added.
According to Fox, five of the men are facing a misdemeanor with the other man facing a felony charge.
Bissonnette then explained why he decided to intervene in the fight. “Unacceptable behavior at a family restaurant just because they couldn’t grab another cocktail and didn’t want to hear ‘no’ for an answer,” he said.
“At that point, with the guy all over the manager, I just figured I had to go over. Took some, gave more.”
The former Pittsburgh Penguins player showed his appreciation for everyone who reached out to him following the news as he captioned his X post, “Thanks for your calls & messages. Love you f***ers.”
“Had a blast getting to record @spittinchiclets today and share some laughs with the gang. See you tomorrow,” he added of his Barstool Sports podcast, Spittin Chiclets.
Bissonnette began his career at 18 years old when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins; he played with them for one year before being claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played for them until 2014, which is when they changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes. He continued to play for various other teams until he officially retired from the sport in 2017.
