Hockey fans in 2024 can tune in to the NHL on TNT and watch Paulo Bissonnette analyze nationally televised competitions and Stanley Cup Playoffs action.
When Bissionette isn’t in front of the camera, he’s talking hockey on one of the most listened to podcasts, Spitting out gumlets.
Like many former NHL players, Bissonnette has found a way to stay in the game by providing daily commentary on breaking news while also giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the sport’s biggest names.
Initially prepared by Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003, in the fourth round (121st overall), he briefly played 15 games for the organization before spending the rest of his career with the then-Phoenix Coyotes.
Wearing a black and gold No. 16 sweater, Bissonnette had one assist and had 22 penalty minutes, averaging 3:31 per game.
In September 2009, he was claimed off waivers when the Coyotes claimed him off waivers. During his first season in the desert, he scored three goals and added five points with a career-high 117 penalty minutes.
Bissonnette played in 202 NHL games, scoring seven goals and 22 points, accumulating 340 penalty minutes and 367 hits. His career ice time average was 5:18 hours per night.
While trying to carve out a role in the NHL, he played 270 games in the American Hockey Leagueskating with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Manchester Monarchs, Portland Pirates and Ontario Reign.
During his time in the minors, he scored 16 goals, 43 points and 653 penalty minutes. He was a member of the Monarchs, which won the Calder Cup in 2015.
Following his retirement from professional hockey in 2017, Bissonnette jumped right into the broadcast booth, joining the Coyotes radio team as a color commentator, a role he held until the end of the 2023-24 season.
Bissonnette may be on TV and podcasts now, but his NHL journey began with the Penguins in the 2003 Entry Draft, and he recorded his first point with the club.
Since he is deeply associated with the Coyotes organization, most current fans may have forgotten that he once called Pittsburgh home.
