SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Former NHL player and TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette says he was assaulted by several men during an altercation at a Scottsdale steakhouse Sunday night.
Bissonnette posted a video on X on Monday describing the incident, saying he tried to intervene when one member of the group got in the manager’s face and started grabbing him after his friend was asked to leave.
“You could tell by his face he (the manager) was a little shocked and surprised and stunned,” Bissonnette said. “It’s a family restaurant and there wasn’t anyone there who could maybe go help him out, so I went over, grabbed the guy and said: ‘Sir, if you’re going to assault and harass the staff, we’re going to have problems.'”
Bissonnette said members of the group started throwing punches in a fight that started in the restaurant, and spilled into the parking lot and to a nearby store. Bissonnette said he was kicked in the head three times and took several punches while landing several blows of his own against seven men.
Scottsdale police arrested six men who are accused of assault and disorderly conduct.
Bissonnette played in the NHL from 2008 to ’14, spending his final six seasons with the Arizona Coyotes before moving on to a broadcasting career.