Paul Bissonnette Reveals the Hilarious Story Behind the Pittsburgh Penguins Forcing Him to Change His Number
Paul Bissonnette was always a scrappy player at the NHL level, and in his rookie campaign, a pre-season scrap forced him to make a major change.
Back in 2008/09, a young, former fourth-round draft pick in Paul Bissonnette made his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins after three campaigns at the AHL level pushing his way into the team.
During that time, the scrappy forward wore No. 67, and as he wasn't the most skilled player on the team, he had to use other methods to force his way into the NHL, and the biggest way to do that was by using his fists.
That led him to a pre-season battle that was seen by Sidney Crosby's mother, and given that their numbers looked similar, she reportedly mistook Bissonnette's scrap for her son.
Now, Bissonnette has revealed that was the reason why he was forced to change his number from 67 to 16, and while he only ended up playing just 15 games with the team at the NHL level, he managed to get some hilarious stories out of that time.
Following that departure, Bissonnette took his scrappy style to Phoenix where he ended up playing 187 games with the team, ultimately playing in 202 games across six seasons before ultimately retiring after four AHL seasons in 2017.
Since that point, Bissonnette has gone on to make one of, if not the most popular hockey podcast in the world in Spittin' Chiclets, as well as becoming a huge part of the NHL coverage on TNT.
Bissonnette is the perfect example of playing to his own strengths and making a fantastic career for himself after his time in the NHL, and after playing just 15 game for the team, it's safe to say that the team and Crosby made the right call by forcing the number change way back in 2008.
