'Took some but gave more': Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette fends off 6 'drunk golfers' in restaurant brawl



Former NHL player Paul Bissonnette fought six men who were allegedly intoxicated and harassing staff at a restaurant.

Bissonnette was known as a fighter during his six seasons in the NHL, and those skills were put to the test on Sunday night in a Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurant.

The 39-year-old did not go looking for a fight; rather, he was at his favorite spot, Houston's, that he says he visits a few times per week.

"The bar where I normally sit was packed. I sat in the dining area, and at one point, there was a bit of a ruckus going on in the bar," Bissonnette said in a video posted to X. "It was a bunch of drunk golfers. Things obviously continued to escalate. They asked one guy to leave, and then one guy kept getting in the manager's face, put his hands on him," Bissonnette said.

The physicality lasted about 30-45 seconds, the former player went on, explaining he soon went over and told the man they were "going to have problems" if he continued to harass the staff.

'I ate three kicks, one in the neck two in the head.'

Bissonnette elaborated on the story on his Barstool Sports podcast, "Spittin' Chiclets," where he revealed more details on what he said to one of the alleged aggressors.

"I walk over, I grabbed the guy's arm, I said, 'Listen, buddy, if you keep harassing and assaulting the staff here, we're going to go outside and have some problems.' The minute that left my mouth, the guy beside him starts throwing punches, and the next thing you know there was about four guys start swinging at me," he recalled.

"We're in the middle of the bar area, and we're just throwing," the hockey player continued. Bissonnette said while he was taking punches, his shirt was ripped, his shoes came off, and at one point he was even dropped to the ground and got "boot f***ed."

"I ate three kicks, one in the neck, two in the head," he continued. "I'll get their names, and this is gonna be a thing."

Scottsdale Police mostly corroborated Bissonnette's story in a statement to Fox 10 Phoenix, but did not comment on whether or not the men were intoxicated.

"There was an altercation inside the restaurant with six adult men and the management. Reportedly, Paul Bissonnette tried to help management calm the men and get them to leave. The situation escalated to the men assaulting Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside of the restaurant," Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis told the outlet.

The men have since been identified and charged with the following:

  • Danny Bradley, accused of misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct
  • John Carroll, accused of misdemeanor disorderly conduct
  • William Carroll, accused of two counts of misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct
  • Sean Daley, accused of felony aggravated assault, felony forgery, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct
  • Edward Jennings, accused of misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct
  • Henry Mesker, accused of misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct

Daley's felony charge is allegedly in regard to a possibly fraudulent military identification card that was reportedly found in his wallet.

Paul Bissonnette (right) punches Jared Boll of the Columbus Blue Jackets during a fight in the second period on March 16, 2013.Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

During his recollection, Bissonnette was particularly angered due to how respectful and talented he said the staff at the restaurant is.

"I'm very, very angry," he said, assuring the audience that surveillance video of the interactions would be released.

Always trying to find humor in the situation, Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy shared a text message from Bissonnette the day after the altercation.

"Just saw a story saying you got jumped. Are you okay?" Portnoy asked Bissonnette.

"Ya. Took some but gave more," the former fighter replied.

Portnoy called the response "vintage" Bissonnette.

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Fans claim NHL Draft lottery is rigged after broadcaster announces who will get 3rd pick before it is revealed



The National Hockey League is buzzing with controversy after the league's draft lottery stirred up rumors that the outcome is rigged after a broadcaster announced an upcoming pick as the show went to commercial.

The NHL Draft lottery determines the order in which teams will select rookie players. The odds of winning are based on each team's final position in the standings; the worse a team performed in the previous season, the higher the odds are that the team will select higher in the draft.

Analyst and retired player Kevin Weekes hosted the ESPN presentation of the draft lottery, and with three picks remaining, the controversial gaffe occurred. After the San Jose Sharks were awarded the fourth pick, Weekes announced that the Columbus Blue Jackets would receive the third pick, despite that information not being revealed yet. ESPN then went to commercial break.

"And there is our first change in the order with Columbus dropping to third, so now either Anaheim or Chicago will select first overall," Weekes said.

\u201cKevin Weekes said Columbus got the 3rd pick and didn\u2019t even flip or show the card and cut to commercial?! \n\nNHL rigged???\n\u201d
— Barstool Sports (@Barstool Sports) 1683591772

A subsequent video posted by the NHL, however, shows league Commissioner Gary Bettman selecting the top two picks using a randomized ball draw.

"We have Chicago with the first pick, Anaheim with the second, and sequenced down from there. This concludes the drawing," Bettman said.

The video would appear to put any rumors of an inside job to rest, at least regarding the broadcasting gaffe, revealing that subsequent broadcasts of the order reveal were fabricated for entertainment purposes, as all the selections were already known.

The draft lottery winners, the Chicago Blackhawks, had an 11.5% chance of winning, the third highest behind Columbus (13.5%) and Anaheim (18.5%).

The high stakes of the draft added fuel to the fire, as teams clamored over the highly touted Connor Bedard. The 17-year-old is seen as a generational talent, as he scored 71 goals in 51 games in his last season in junior hockey. Bedard totaled a massive 143 points for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.

The news immediately boosted the Blackhawks' season ticket sales.

"The Blackhawks have already sold $2.5 million worth of season-ticket plans for 2023-24 in the 1.5 hours since winning the #1 pick — including more than 500 new full-season plans," said Ben Pope, sports reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.

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\u201cThe Blackhawks have already sold $2.5 million worth of season-ticket plans for 2023-24 in the 1.5 hours since winning the #1 pick \u2014 including more than 500 new full-season plans.\u201d
— Ben Pope (@Ben Pope) 1683598296

Celebrations fast turn into injuries as Eagles fans come crashing down



Philadelphia Eagles fans took to the streets Sunday to celebrate their team's decisive NFC Championship victory against the San Francisco 49ers. For a handful of die-hard fans, the only thing evidently capable of bringing down the mood was gravity.

The city's Mayor Jim Kenney cautioned Eagles fans to "celebrate joyously, safely, and respectfully and show the same love we have for our team to our city. Go Birds!"

Roads in downtown Philadelphia were shut down for the anticipated post-win revelry from 8th through 20th streets and from Race to Lombardy streets. Inside the designated traffic box flowed a sea of green-clad celebrants, many chanting, "Fly, Eagles, fly."

While most people were apparently to remain grounded, some sought out a better view. Over a dozen fans mounted a SEPTA bus stop near South Broad Street, close to city hall. These Birds fans did not last long in their newfound glass roost.

The moment the structure gave under the weight of the fans was caught on tape, along with reactions from onlookers.

A woman can be heard crying out, "Oh my God," while a male bystander says, "I told you."

\u201cThe streets are wild (via ig/janine_ray)\u201d
— Barstool Philly (@Barstool Philly) 1675036920

The Daily Mail indicated that there were "multiple injuries" resulting from the bus stop breakthrough.

Following the Eagles' Super Bowl victory in 2018, a similar incident occurred when a rabble brought down the awning outside the Ritz Carlton hotel in the city's downtown.

After the collapse of the awning, which also resulted in injuries, a number of Eagles fans ran off with the debris, reported Global News.

\u201cCelebrating #Eagles fans brought down awning outside Philadelphia's Ritz Carlton hotel after last night's historic #SuperBowl win.\u201d
— NBC News (@NBC News) 1517824945

Police greased the poles all over downtown Philadelphia in advance of Sunday night's celebrations.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw told CBS3 that "the greased poles are not an invitation for some personal challenge or reality TV competition."

Notwithstanding the commissioner's clarification, some Eagles fans took it upon themselves to scale poles across the city:

\u201cPhiladelphia has learned to make its traffic lights strong enough to hold a capacity of at least 7 people. \u2066@FOX29philly\u2069\u201d
— Steve Keeley (@Steve Keeley) 1675040076

As fans began to spill out of the traffic box and reportedly became "intense," police in riot gear intervened and began dispersing the crowds.

\u201cPolice are now in riot gear and are now trying to disperse the chaos crowed\u201d
— R A W S A L E R T S (@R A W S A L E R T S) 1675043482

Commissioner Outlaw said of the win and general atmosphere in the city, "There's nothing like a sporting event to bring everyone from all walks of life together for one common goal. ... We've been through a lot in the last few years and I think this is really, really great to be able to come together."

The Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

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