Bissonnette reveals dream guests he'd love to interview on Spittin' Chiclets
Paul Bissonnette might be the most successful fringe NHLer in hockey history.
The hockey media icon has helped Spittin’ Chiclets turn into the world’s biggest hockey podcast, raking in over 100,000 downloads and streams per episode.
On YouTube alone, the podcast has over 430,000 subscribers and 150 million views to date.
Not only do they have the podcast, but Bissonnette and co-host Ryan Whitney have gone on to create a beer line and the renowned Pink Whitney vodka, which grossed an estimated $100 million in revenue after it hit the shelves in 2022.
“There’s a lot of chemistry there,” Bissonnette said during a one-on-one chat with Daily Hive. “I was fortunate to play with Whit, and obviously always knew how funny he was inside a locker room. I felt like the world needed to hear that humor, that storytelling, and in his interview skills.”
Bissonnette and Whitney played together in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization from 2005 to 2009, before teaming up full-time on Spittin’ Chiclets in 2018.
“The authenticity and the fact that we’re able to get these amazing guys on the podcast to open up and tell great stories that you hear in the locker room, I think that’s what the fans want to hear.”
Bissonnette, Whitney, and the Chiclets’ team have interviewed hundreds of guests since the debut of the show, but ‘Biznasty’ says there are a few guests that he’d still love get.
“Mario Lemieux is probably at the top of the list, along with Brett Hull,” he said.
“I don’t know if Mario Lemieux would ever do it, but we’re fortunate where we get plenty of guys who have played against or with Mario Lemieux, where we get the kind of stories firsthand about how they saw things.”
Bissonnette also namechecked an underrated NHL star as his third dream guest.
“Unfortunately, Gordie Howe has passed, and he’s a Mount Rushmore guy. But to get Mark, his son, on would be very cool.”
“Not only is it his son, but Mark had an incredible career on his own. And I think Gordy kind of overshadows that. But Mark was just an incredible player that we’d love to get. Not only stories about his father, but his career as well.”
Paul Bissonnette WANTS…three former NHL stars to guest on Spittin’ Chiclets. (Kraft Hockeyville)
Although some notable players have yet to appear on the pod, Bissonnette reflected on some of the best guests he’s chatted with during his media career.
“Getting Wayne [Gretzky] on for the first time was like a big jaw-dropping moment,” Bissonnette said. “I was fortunate enough to work at TNT with him, but before that, I was, like, still super nervous getting him on for the first time.”
“We recently did Luke Robitaille, and he stuck out to me. Just his laugh was infectious. He was an incredible storyteller.”
Of course, the best guests aren’t always the biggest stars in the game.
“There are a lot of no-namers, so to speak. A guy like Tim Stapleton, who came on in the early days, really opened up the bag to the KHL Russia stories.”
“It’s hard to nail down one or two, but we’ve had probably like 50 to 100 guys, where I left saying, ‘that was the most fun I’ve had for an hour in a long time.’ And that’s what it’s about.”
“Like, sitting down with Luke Robitaille for 90 minutes and taking you completely out of your reality, and getting to hear all these legendary stories about how he formed a Hall of Fame career and who he did it with, that’s why we do it.”
Bissonnette gets new gig
It’s been nearly 10 years since Bissonnette last stepped onto NHL ice. Now, he’s coming full circle.
Back on Oct. 2, 2016, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound winger suited up in a preseason game for the Los Angeles Kings as part of Kraft Hockeyville in Lumby, British Columbia.
“I got caught on the ice against Connor McDavid twice,” he reflected. “I was dash two, and that’s when I was like, ‘buddy, I think this is the last time you’re going to touch NHL ice.’ And I was right.”
Almost a decade later, Bissonnette is teaming up with Kraft Hockeyville as a dual ambassador for the 20th anniversary of the event, alongside Marc-Andre Fleury.
Bissonnette reflected fondly on his Kraft Hockeyville experience, even if it was the last time he stepped foot on NHL ice.
“Obviously, they were more there for Connor McDavid and the Oilers than they were for Paul Bissonnette and the LA Kings, but it was so cool, man. They treated us like rockstars.”
Kraft Hockeyville has over $1 million in community prizing available in 2026, its biggest prize pot yet. They will also award prize money to at least one community in each Canadian territory and province.
“It’s pretty remarkable, and I’m just honoured to be a part of it,” Bissonnette said. “I’m just the ambassador who shows up in year 20 after this thing’s been established.”
“I got the pom poms out, and I will stay out of everybody’s way, other than to just cheer them on.”
Applications for Kraft Hockeyville are open until March. 1.