Paul Bissonnette, more famously known on Twitter and Instagram as BizNasty, is a former National Hockey League/American Hockey League (NHL/AHL) hockey player. Although he has not played professionally since the 2016-17 AHL season, Bissonnette has remained relevant through his social media outlets.
Recently, Bissonnette has come under fire for claiming that he “could make an @NLL lacrosse team as a walk-on without having ever played a game,” despite never playing lacrosse before. Allowing him to test his words, the Vancouver Warriors have invited the former hockey player to their training camp.
This move by the Vancouver Warriors is brilliant, because it puts them in a win-win situation. Bissonnette is a big name and has over one million followers on his Twitter. If BizNasty is able to live up to his words and contribute to the Vancouver Warriors, the team would be able to capitalize on Bissonette’s fame and draw in more fans and more revenue. However, if the former hockey player is unable to perform at the level of the current National Lacrosse League (NLL) players, then the Vancouver Warriors and the NLL can show that lacrosse deserves recognition as a difficult sport. While this may damage Bissonnette’s reputation if he is unable to live up to his words, the Vancouver Warriors and the NLL can only benefit from this situation.
