Paul Bissonnette shares a NSFW message for Gary Bettman and NHL linesmen

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Josh tupper
March 21, 2023 (2:54 PM)

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Paul Bissonnette is one of the most popular people covering the NHL. The former enforcer turned hockey personality isn't afraid to call things how he sees it and never shies away from controversy. Biz has always been willing to share his opinion, no matter how unpopular his opinion might be.

On one of the most recent episodes of the Spittin' Chiclets Podcast, Biz took the time to discuss his thoughts on linesmen making a concentrated effort to stop fights and who might be behind the controversy.

If you're a f***ing NHL linesman and you're listening to this right now - STOP STOPPING FIGHTS. F*** off. If Kim Jong Bettman is telling them to not allow them to fight, on behalf of me tell him to f*** off. That is what's selling the game, that is what separates our game from the other major sports. And if you take that away, it's f***ing stupid. Allow it. You say everybody on their feet, you saw everybody online and any casual hockey fan, all of a sudden paying attention to that f***ing hockey game. So what did they do? They don't let them fight.

During Biz's rant, Ryan Whitney chimes in and shares that it feels like Bettman is instructing linesmen to not allow players to fight. It's clear this season that linesmen have stepped in on more than one occasion to stop players from throwing punches.

With fighting numbers down in the league, rumors have swirled that the league will next turn their attention to decreasing body checking as their next target. The NHL appears content to try and grow the game to a younger audience, while erasing the audience that helped grow the game based on physicality and fighting.

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