Paul Bissonnette's bold take on controversial Stolarz, Greig incident

NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette, Anthony Stolarz, and Ridly Greig

Paul Bissonnette is a well-known fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs—but this time, he might’ve taken it a bit too far. The NHL analyst and podcast host shared his unfiltered thoughts on a controversial incident between Anthony Stolarz and Ridly Greig on Tuesday night, and his post quickly sparked backlash.

Bissonnette wasn’t exactly a standout during his NHL playing days, but as a media personality, things have gone much better for “BizNasty.” He’s the co-host of the hugely popular Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and an analyst for NHL on TNT, and he’s generally seen as one of the most well-liked figures in the hockey media world.

At the same time, he’s never hidden his loyalty to his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs—and that hasn’t changed this postseason. In fact, he seems to have doubled down during the Battle of Ontario, and on Tuesday, he was back at it.

The first two games between the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators have been packed with physical play and controversial moments—and Game 2 was especially intense.

Paul Bissonnette’s bold take

Even goalie Anthony Stolarz got involved, going after Ridly Greig. Greig had cross-checked John Tavares in Game 1 and also collided with Stolarz during the same game. Midway through Game 2, with Greig stationed in front of the net, Stolarz responded in frustration: he delivered multiple stick chops to Greig and followed up by knocking him to the ice with a body check.

Both players received minor penalties, but on social media, most people felt that Greig hadn’t done much to warrant any punishment—and that Stolarz was clearly the aggressor. But Paul Bissonnette strongly disagreed. He posted his thoughts on X, and he didn’t hold back:
“The Carpenter handles his own business. Chop his legs off next time. That’s your paint,” he wrote.

The post quickly drew criticism, with many fans pushing back against his take. Former Senators defenseman Marc Methot shared the opposite view on X:
“I’m going to talk about that Greig/Stolarz non-call until I get an answer lol,” Methot wrote. “That was outrageous. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the drama and passion—it makes the series better. But zero call after Greig gets assaulted?”