Former Coyotes player Paul Bissonnette attacked at Scottsdale eatery

The attack occurred at the restaurant Houston's and spilled into the parking lot. Six men were arrested.

November 26, 2024

Image: a man in a red hockey jersey and helmet with blood trickling down his face

Former Arizona Coyotes player Paul Bissonnette was attacked by a group of men at a Scottsdale restaurant on Nov. 24. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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On Sunday, former Arizona Coyotes player and current pro hockey commentator Paul Bissonnette was assaulted by six men after he tried to break up an argument at the Scottsdale restaurant Houston's. The attack sent Bissonnette to the hospital and landed all six men in jail.

According to Scottsdale police, the attack happened at about 7:30 p.m. In an interview with the hockey podcast "Spittin' Chiclets," Bissonnette said he intervened when a man began aggressively yelling at an assistant manager.

"I walk over, I grab the guy's arm and I say, 'Listen, buddy, if you keep harassing and assaulting the staff here, we're going to go outside, and we're going to have some problems,'" Bissonnette recounted on the podcast. "The minute that left my mouth, the guy beside him starts throwing punches."

We got the full breakdown of @BizNasty2point0’s wild night fighting off 7 guys while defending restaurant staff 💥https://t.co/H2asmmmKUm pic.twitter.com/8CbqMmgITR
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) November 26, 2024

According to Bissonnette, that set off a six-versus-one brawl that, over about 3 ½ minutes, made its way from inside the restaurant out into the parking lot. In the process, Bissonnette lost his shirt and both of his shoes. Some of the men also attacked a restaurant employee.

"I'm taking some, and I'm giving some," Bissonnette said on the podcast.

Bissonnette was taken to the hospital but said on the podcast that he was able to return home later that evening.

Phoenix New Times has requested the arrest report from the incident but has yet to receive it. According to police, the following people were arrested on the following charges:

Henry P. Mesker: misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct
John G. Carroll: misdemeanor disorderly conduct
William J. Carroll: misdemeanor disorderly conduct (2 counts) and misdemeanor assault (2 counts)
Danny Bradley: misdemeanor disorderly conduct and misdemeanor assault
Edward J. Jennings: misdemeanor disorderly conduct and misdemeanor assault
Sean M. Daley: felony aggravated assault, forgery, misdemeanor disorderly conduct

Bissonnette told the podcast he would set them all free if he could get a rematch.

"I'm so fired up right now, I would be willing to waive every single charge if I could go behind a fucking barn somewhere and go one v. one," he said, "every fucking guy, one after the other."

Zach Buchanan has been the news editor for the Phoenix New Times since April 2024. He's worked as a journalist in Phoenix for more than a decade, and is an alum of both The Athletic and the Arizona Republic. He's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and has taught as an associate professor at ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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