During his playing days in the NHL, Paul Bissonnette was better known for the over-the-top productions on his social media platforms — such as his 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video — than for his on-ice skill
Now, retired from the game after 12 pro seasons, Bissonnette, also known as, “Biznasty”, is flexing his creative muscles with a web series titled “Biznasty Does BC”.
The five-episode series, set to air on Barstool Sports beginning Monday, allows Bissonnette to show off his humour and creativity all in one place.
“I’d say if you could split the documentary up, it’s about 50 per cent humour and script, 25 per cent informative and about 25 per cent beauty - the drone footage and helicopter footage that we obtained just to capture the mountains and the landscape of it all,” Bissonnette explained to Sporting News Canada.
“If you’re not in it for the jokes, I think you’ll be impressed by the sights. Hopefully you’re impressed by both.”
TRAILER. I’ve been waiting a long time to release this project I did last summer after I retired from professional hockey. Coming to @barstoolsports May 14th-18th. @BizNastyDoesBC created by myself and @peshghi. pic.twitter.com/TqrRWfy7ZZ
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) May 10, 2018
I spent the day ranking some of the worlds best benches in British Columbia. Check it out. https://t.co/T1m6MDOama
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) September 22, 2017
Bissonnette, who hails from Welland, Ont., got familiar the city of Vancouver after moving his off-season workouts to B.C. while playing with the Coyotes. Now to get his small screen career started, Bissonnette is taking his talents to the epicenter of Hollywood North.
“Me and Boyd Gordon were close friends and teammates in Arizona; I lived in Welland, which is a small town and he lived in Saskatchewan,” explained Bissonnette from his current home in Cave Creek, Ariz. “We just kind of wanted a change of pace so we talked to Kevin Bieksa, he lined us up with a great trainer and we said, ‘Hey why don’t we go rent a place there and enjoy the summer’.
“I’ve been back every summer since. It’s a special place. The weather there in the summer is unbelievable, and the overall beauty of it is pretty cool. I fell in love with it. That’s why I wanted to do a documentary (there) as well.”
Bissonnette shot the series last summer, and after production delays, its finally set to release over five days next week.
“I’ve been able to incorporate 15 NHL guys in a mockumentary-type script going around B.C.," explained Bissonnette. "The premise of it is I’m starting my media career and I want to do it with a splash so I want to do this documentary around B.C. and have NHL superstars on the episodes.
“I guess the gist of it would be things don’t go as planned and it kind of takes us on a crazy ride around B.C. to different locations.”
Among the 15 NHLers featured in the series is Morgan Rielly. The Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman, who resides in his hometown of Vancouver during the off-season, joined the social media star on a boat for an episode.
“I think he’s just having fun with it, enjoying it and he’s a great guy, I think he’s got a real opportunity to do what he wants in the media world and have some fun with it,” said Rielly who first got to know Bissonnette during off-season workouts a few years ago. “To be out there with him, see him working hard, kind of directing a little bit was really fun. Hopefully it works out well.”
Bissonnette, a veteran of 202 NHL games over six seasons, rose to prominence due to his self-deprecating humour and quick wit on Twitter. Unlike many of his peers around the league, Bissonnette was never afraid to use social media platforms to peel back the curtains for fans of the game.
With “Biznasty Does BC”, Bissonnette is hoping to have a similar impact.
“I talk about how grateful I am I got to experience the NHL and how I wanted to share it to fans ‘cause that’s how cool I thought it all was,” the 32-year-old said. “Now, I know how much hockey fans starve for content away from the game.
“I would say hockey is the most conservative of them all as far as that’s concerned. This is essentially my gift to hockey fans. I hope they enjoy it where they get to see guys outside the rink and having a little bit of fun and hopefully get to share some laughs with the fans.”
In addition to his documentary series, Bissonnette has re-joined the Coyotes organization as the club’s colour analyst for radio broadcasts. He will also be a regular on Coyotes pre-and post-game shows on FOX Sports Arizona.
Bissonnette will also produce digital media content for the Coyotes website and social media platforms throughout the season, further kickstarting his new media career.