Former Coyotes player and current podcaster and NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette wasn’t looking for trouble at dinner last weekend. But he still found trouble.

On November 24, Bissonnette was attacked by six men while eating at Houston’s, a family restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. An altercation ensued that spread beyond the restaurant and eventually ended in the CVS parking lot next door.

“There was an altercation at the restaurant between six adult males and management,” Scottsdale Police Sgt. Allison Sempsis said. “Paul Bissonnette reportedly tried to help management calm the men down and get them to leave. The situation escalated when the men attacked Paul Bissonnette both inside and outside the restaurant.”

Bissonnette confirmed the police statement Monday in a video he posted on X.

Bissonnette said he is a regular at Houston’s, eats there several times a week and is friendly with the staff. He said he became involved when he saw one of the men in a group begin to physically attack the restaurant manager.

“The bar where I usually sit was full. I was sitting in the dining area and at one point there was a bit of a commotion in the bar. There were a few drunk golfers. Things obviously continued to escalate. She “I asked a guy to leave and then one guy kept jumping in the manager’s face and putting his hands on him,” Bissonnette said.

Seeing that the manager was vastly outnumbered, Bissonnette stood up to help. He says he told the men: “Sir, if you continue to harass and assault the staff, we will be in trouble.”

Things quickly escalated from there. As Bissonnette put it, “They just started ranting.”

“Got knocked down a few times. Luckily I didn’t pass out. I went to the hospital, so that’s probably what everyone reads about.”

“It’s all good guys, it sucks,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse.”

Bissonnette, 39, spent six seasons in the NHL, playing one year for the Pittsburgh Penguins before being claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played for them until 2014 when they changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes. Due to their move to Salt Lake City in the offseason, they are currently known as the Utah Hockey Club.