Paul Bissonnette signed a multi-year contract extension with TNT Sports on Wednesday, keeping the former enforcer in the studio for NHL coverage while adding a new wrinkle to his role.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Bissonnette will make his in-game debut Wednesday night between the benches for Flyers-Sabres, joining play-by-play announcer Brendan Burke and analyst Jody Shelley. He’ll continue his studio role on NHL on TNT alongside Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter, and host Liam McHugh.
EXCLUSIVE: The irreverent @BizNasty2point0 has become the Charles Barkley of hockey coverage.
Ex-NHL enforcer is scoring new TV deal with @TNTSportsUS, @FOS has learned.
His @spittinchiclets pod for @barstoolsports is making waves with @TomBrady spot.https://t.co/JlGMumeo4I
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) January 14, 2026
A former grinder who scored seven goals and logged 340 penalty minutes across 202 NHL games, Bissonnette has become a central part of TNT’s effort to position its NHL coverage as a credible alternative to ESPN’s over the past four years.
“It’s more conversational-based and a little less structured than a traditional broadcast,” he said of Face Off year. “The tone was set by the NBA on TNT. They kind of set the mold, and we’re just trying to create our own version of that.”
His success at TNT runs parallel to his role as co-host of Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, which he’s helmed since 2016 alongside Ryan Whitney and Keith Yandle. The show has become the country’s most popular hockey podcast and recently moved exclusively to Netflix, while landing Tom Brady as its first guest on the new platform.
The extension keeps Bissonnette anchored to TNT’s hockey coverage while expanding his role beyond the studio. Between the network and Spittin’ Chiclets, he’s built a media presence that’s proven far more valuable than his on-ice contributions ever were.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.