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Paul Bissonnette

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Paul Bissonnette
Bissonnette with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2010
Born (1985-03-11) March 11, 1985 (age 39)
Welland, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins
Phoenix Coyotes
Cardiff Devils
NHL draft 121st overall, 2003
Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career 2005–2017

Paul Albert Bissonnette[1] (born March 11, 1985), nicknamed "Biz Nasty",[2] is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes.

Bissonnette is currently a studio analyst for NHL on TNT, the analyst for the Arizona Coyotes TV/radio, and a co-host alongside former NHL defenceman Ryan Whitney on the Barstool Sports hockey podcast Spittin' Chiclets.

Early life

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Bissonnette was born March 11, 1985, in Welland, Ontario, to parents Yolande and Cam Bissonnette. His mother was an office administration professor at Niagara College for 30 years in Southern Ontario, while his father was a steel worker.[3] Bissonnette is French Canadian and attended French-language schools until he was in grade seven. He is of biracial origin, as his mother is half black.[4][5] Bissonnette is a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, both prior to his professional career and since retirement.[6]

At age 16, Bissonnette was drafted 31st overall by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s North Bay Centennials in the 2001 OHL Priority Selection. He played in 57 games as a rookie and scored three goals and three assists. Following the 2001–02 season, the Centennials relocated and became the Saginaw Spirit.

Bissonnette was named co-captain on the Spirit and also became a member of Canada's under-18 team that won gold medals at the 2013 Nations Cup. During the 2003 Home Hardware Top Prospects Game, Bissonnette was named Team Orr player of the game after recording a goal and fighting Dion Phaneuf.[7]

Playing career

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Early career

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Bissonnette was selected in the fourth round, 121st overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. When drafted, he was playing with the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. During the 2003–04 season, Bissonnette served as the Spirit captain and finished ninth in points. He played another half season with the Spirit before being traded to the Owen Sound Attack, where he finished the 2004–05 season.[8]

Professional career

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Pittsburgh Penguins

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Bissonnette began his professional career during the 2005–06 season with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. He appeared in 14 games for the Nailers, while also playing 55 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL). On November 12, 2005, Bissonnette received his first professional fighting major when he fought Jordan Smith of the Portland Pirates. The following season, Bissonnette played 65 games with the Nailers, while only skating in three with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Bissonnette scored his first professional goal in the AHL on February 25, 2006, on goaltender Maxime Ouellet of the Manitoba Moose. After 22 games with the Nailers during the 2007–08 season, Bissonnette was recalled by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he would spend the remainder of the season. While in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, teammates Dennis Bonvie and Deryk Engelland worked with Bissonnette, often practicing fighting techniques. During his time in Wheeling, he was also named to the ECHL all-star game twice.

Bissonnette earned a spot on Pittsburgh's roster to begin the 2008–09 season. He earned his first NHL fighting major on October 16, 2008, when he fought Matt Bradley of the Washington Capitals. During the fight, Bissonnette knocked Bradley to the ice, bloodying his nose. On January 13, 2009, Bissonnette recorded his first career NHL point, assisting on a goal by Tyler Kennedy against the Philadelphia Flyers. On May 5, during a playoff game between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Hershey Bears, Bissonnette was hit awkwardly by Greg Amadio and Steve Pinizzotto. He was deeply cut by the skate of one of Hershey's players on his left wrist and suffered nerve damage in his left hand.[9]

Phoenix Coyotes

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On October 1, 2009, Bissonnette was claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes after failing to make the Penguins' NHL roster out of training camp.[10] On October 12, Bissonnette's first fight as a Coyote occurred against Jody Shelley of the San Jose Sharks. On November 12, he scored his first of seven NHL goals, against goaltender Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens in a 4–2 loss.[11]

On October 5, 2011, Bissonnette signed a two-year contract extension with the Coyotes.[12] During the 2011–12 season, on November 19, Bissonnette scored the game-winning goal, playing in front of his mother and grandparents for the first time as an NHL player. The Coyotes went on to win 4–2 over the Buffalo Sabres.[13]

With the 2012–13 NHL lock-out in effect, on November 1, 2012, Bissonnette signed with the Cardiff Devils of the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).[14] In 10 games for Cardiff, Bissonnette recorded six goals and 15 assists for 21 points before returning to the Coyotes.

Various teams

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Bissonnette left the Coyotes' organization after five seasons following the 2013–14 season. On September 16, 2014, he accepted a tryout agreement from the St. Louis Blues to attend their training camp.[15] After playing the entirety of the pre-season, Bissonnette was released from his tryout on October 4.[16] A few weeks later, on October 24, Bissonnette returned to the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL. He re-joined the team "on a temporary basis while he still looks for opportunities in the NHL".[17] Bissonnette returned to the Coyotes' organization just three days later on October 27, when he signed a professional tryout agreement with the club's AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates.[18] After just eight games, Bissonnette was released from his tryout on December 9.[19]

Manchester Monarchs/Ontario Reign

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On the same day, Bissonnette signed a tryout agreement with the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings.[20] After 19 games, on February 3, 2015, the Monarchs signed Bissonnette to a standard AHL contract for the remainder of the season.[21] Bissonnette and the Monarchs won the Calder Cup after defeating the Utica Comets in five games.[22]

With the Monarchs moving to the ECHL, the team was replaced by the Ontario Reign as the Kings' AHL affiliate.[23] On July 8, 2015, the Reign signed Bissonnette to a one-year contract.[24] He played 35 games for the team during the 2015–16 season. On July 6, 2016, he returned to the Reign after signing a one-year extension.[25]

Post-playing career

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On June 24, 2017, it was announced that Bissonnette would join the Coyotes' radio booth as a color commentator, replacing Nick Boynton.[26] On September 7, Bissonnette officially confirmed his retirement from professional ice hockey.[27]

On April 11, 2018, Bissonnette was announced as a new member of the Barstool Sports' podcast, Spittin' Chiclets, joining former Penguins' teammate Ryan Whitney.[28] On May 14, Bissonnette released a mockumentary series named BizNasty Does BC, which he co-created with Pasha Eshghi. The series features 17 past and present NHL stars and shows off the beauty of the province of British Columbia.[29]

In February 2019, Bissonnette partnered with CaniBrands,[30] a CBD health and wellness company as the company's Sports and Media Ambassador.[31]

In 2021, Turner Sports announced that Bissonnette would be joining the company as a pregame and intermission analyst for the NHL on TNT, alongside Wayne Gretzky, Anson Carter, and Rick Tocchet.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2001–02 North Bay Centennials OHL 57 3 3 6 21 5 0 0 0 2
2002–03 Saginaw Spirit OHL 67 7 16 23 57 — — — — —
2003–04 Saginaw Spirit OHL 67 5 14 19 96 — — — — —
2004–05 Saginaw Spirit OHL 28 1 6 7 46 — — — — —
2004–05 Owen Sound Attack OHL 35 2 11 13 46 8 1 3 4 2
2005–06 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 14 3 7 10 4 — — — — —
2005–06 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 55 1 5 6 60 11 0 1 1 4
2006–07 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2006–07 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 65 10 32 42 115 — — — — —
2007–08 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 22 3 14 17 43 — — — — —
2007–08 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 46 3 5 8 145 7 0 0 0 11
2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 15 0 1 1 22 — — — — —
2008–09 Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 57 9 7 16 176 8 0 2 2 9
2009–10 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 41 3 2 5 117 — — — — —
2010–11 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 48 1 0 1 71 1 0 0 0 0
2011–12 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 31 1 0 1 41 3 0 0 0 15
2012–13 Cardiff Devils EIHL 11 6 15 21 8 — — — — —
2012–13 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 28 0 6 6 36 — — — — —
2013–14 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 39 2 6 8 53 — — — — —
2014–15 Portland Pirates AHL 8 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2014–15 Manchester Monarchs AHL 48 1 6 7 167 11 0 0 0 5
2015–16 Ontario Reign AHL 35 2 1 3 51 13 1 1 2 17
2016–17 Ontario Reign AHL 18 0 3 3 48 — — — — —
AHL totals 270 16 27 43 653 50 1 4 5 46
NHL totals 202 7 15 22 340 4 0 0 0 15

International

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Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Nations Cup
Gold medal – first place 2002 Piešťany
IIHF U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Yaroslavl
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2002 Canada U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 2
2003 Canada WJC18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 1 1 0
Junior totals 12 0 1 1 2

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
ECHL
All-Star Game 2007
AHL
Calder Cup champion 2015 [32]

References

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  1. ^ @BigNasty2point0 (August 11, 2011). "No ones going to guess my middle name. It's Albert, yes Albert. So next question is who was my first NHL game against?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Boivin, Paola. "Phoenix Coyotes' Paul 'Bignasty' Bissonnette proves players willing to bite back online". 12 News & The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  3. ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (November 18, 2011). "Mom wishes Paul Bissonnette's Twitter feed had cleaner … grammar". National Post. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Bissonnette, Paul [@BizNasty2point0] (October 9, 2019). "I'm biracial. My mother Yolande is half black. Please do research before typing next time. Thanks" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Bissonnette, Paul [@BizNasty2point0] (May 23, 2017). "I know. To my defense I'm French Canadian and started going to English speaking School in 7th grade. Spelling is my kryptonite" (Tweet). Retrieved May 31, 2021 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs". Hockey Night in Canada. April 9, 2022. CBC Television.
  7. ^ "Fritsche goal caps Cherry comeback in Home Hardware CHL Top Prospects Game". CHL. January 22, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2003.
  8. ^ Chalk, Dan. "Spirit trade Bissonnette". Midland Daily News. Retrieved November 24, 2004.
  9. ^ Bombulie, Jonathan. "Ins and Outs of Playoff Hockey – Penguins Insider – Community Server". Retrieved July 9, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ Bernreuter, Hugh (October 1, 2009). "Phoenix Coyotes claim Paul Bissonnette off waivers". mlive. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "Canadiens snap two-game skid with win over Coyotes". ESPN. November 12, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2023.[dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Coyotes extend Paul Bissonnette". ESPN.com. October 5, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  13. ^ "Radim Vrbata, Paul Bissonnette score 66 seconds apart to sink Sabres". ESPN. November 19, 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "NHL player Paul Bissonnette joins Cardiff Devils". Wales Online. November 1, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  15. ^ Peters, Chris (September 16, 2014). "Paul 'BizNasty' Bissonnette earns tryout invite from Blues". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  16. ^ Rutherford, Jeremy (October 4, 2014). "Blues release Bissonnette from tryout". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  17. ^ "Bissonnette signs with Britain's Devils". Sportsnet. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  18. ^ McLellan, Sarah. "Paul Bissonnette returning to Coyotes organization". USA Today. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  19. ^ Silverman, Catherine (December 8, 2014). "Bidding Biznasty Farewell: Paul Bissonnette Released From PTO". Howlin' Hockey. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  20. ^ "Monarchs Sign Bissonnette to PTO". Manchester Monarchs. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  21. ^ "Monarchs Sign Bissonnette to AHL Contract". Manchester Monarchs. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  22. ^ "AT LAST, MONARCHS RULE THE AHL". AHL. June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  23. ^ Clinton, Jared (January 30, 2015). "ECHL WILL REPLACE THREE RELOCATED AHL TEAMS IN 2015-16". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  24. ^ Mahiban, Dhiren (July 8, 2015). "Bissonnette signs a one-year, one-way deal with Kings' affiliate". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  25. ^ "BISSONNETTE RETURNING TO REIGN". AHL. July 6, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  26. ^ "Paul Bissonnette to join Coyotes radio broadcast team". Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. June 24, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  27. ^ Bissonnette, Paul. "Well. That's all she wrote". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  28. ^ Grinnell, Mike. "BREAKING NEWS: BIG NASTY IS JOINING SPITTIN' CHICLETS". Barstool Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  29. ^ "Bissonnette's new mockumentary aims to show lighter side of NHL players". SportsNet. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  30. ^ CaniBrands Goes Live to 550K Listeners on Barstool Sports [1] Retrieved, 2018.
  31. ^ "CaniBrands Expands Reach with New Products and Influencers". July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  32. ^ "Manchester defeats Utica to win Calder Cup". National Hockey League. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
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