Paul Bissonnette Explains How He Fought With Two Torn ACL's During His Final Hockey Game

On today's Pardon My Take, we welcomed on one of our co-workers, Paul Bissonnette. The co-host of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast and former NHL player turned broadcaster joined Mr. Cat and Mr. Commenter to discuss the current NHL season, fighting in the hockey world, and much more. Speaking of fighting, Biz participated in a memorable one himself. It was his last career game, he was far from 100%, but that didn't stop him. Here are the details: 

Mr. Commenter: When was the last time you were in a fight?

Paul Bissonnette: The last timeI was in a fight I believe was my last ever professional game and I was like Bambi out there. I actually tore my right ACL halfway through the year, ended up trying to come back because I knew that was going to be my last year at that point. And I tried coming back one game, I knew it wasn't stable enough, so I took another month to get it strong enough to wear a brace and finish the season on.

Mr. Cat: Didn't get surgery.

Paul Bissonnette: Well, sure enough, I come back a few games before the playoffs, we're in San Jose, and I get hit from the side in the second period, and I feel my other one go. I go over to my trainer, I go, "Hey, I think I just tore my other ACL." And he was like, "No." And we went off after the second, and he moved it around, he was like, "Yeah, you just tore your other one." But I knew it was my last game, it was emotional. The coach came in, I had that coach in Junior, we also won a Calder Cup together, not to go back to the fact that I won a Calder Cup, not a big deal. 

Paul Bissonnette: But I knew it was going to be my last game, so I went out there and finished the game, and I was like Bambi, because I was falling over, I had no ACL's. I ended up fighting a guy Zack Stortini, they used to call him Huggy Bear in the NHL a little bit. But he's a tough customer, and I would probably give him the edge, and that was my last ever professional fight, and I've grown up enough not to be fighting in bars and shit now.

Mr. Cat: So, you were fighting on two torn ACL's, that's fucking crazy. Hockey Tough. 

Paul Bissonnette: Well, it was sad. This is going to be my last ever hockey [game], it's all over. And I had no idea what was going to happen to my media career. It was kind of just like, you're livelihood has been stripped from you, and you're like, "Oh shit, I've got to restart this whole fucking thing. 

Mr. Cat: Did you sit in the locker room for a while with your pads on? 

Paul Bissonnette: No, not really. I actually hurried up and got unchanged, and put some ice bags on because I was so swollen. I looked like the fucking Michelin Man with all these ice bags on me.

Biz is a legend. I got the chance to meet him for the first time earlier this week while we were broadcasting the Pink Whitney Cup together (video series coming soon), and it was a ton of fun. He delivered tons of great stories to today's PMT, including one heck of a finish to his professional hockey career.