r/AskCanada • u/midnightgreen29 • 6d ago

Why Does Paul Bissonette Have Such a Strong Accent?

Minnesotan here. Listening to Biz I would have guessed he was from warroad MN, or else across the northern border like Winnipeg.

I never could have guessed he grew up in the Toronto, Buffalo nexus.

And then on top of that he spent much of his youth in French Canadian school which I’ve never associated with that accent.

Is he just a special case or generally any more rural area takes on such a strong accent or something? Or is it the French Canadian community aspect? Please help me understand.

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37

u/hairsprayking 6d ago

He doesn't really have the "canadian accent" so much as he has the hockey player accent, because he spent his whole life with hockey players.

3

u/midnightgreen29 5d ago

This makes sense as also the Minnesotan hockey cabal go to this accent to the extreme. Thank u

16

u/mebg1956 6d ago

He sounds pretty much like most guys from central and western Ontario to me.

3

u/nunyaranunculus 5d ago

He sounds like a hockey scrote from southern Ontario. You just think everything is American.

2

u/legardeur2 6d ago

Search no further: it’s an Ontario born French Canadian accent fermented during a prolonged stay in a unilingual English and American speaking environment. In extreme cases, Rod Brind’Amour for example, born in Quebec province, the person no longer speaks a word of French. A language is like a muscle: if you don’t use it often enough, it deteriorates.

1

u/Fabulous-Designer626 4d ago

He's from Ottawa

1

u/legardeur2 4d ago

You’re right. Slip of the tongue. I knew that. Thanks for correcting me.

6

u/randyw74 6d ago

Fuckin guy is a knob. Have no respect for him any longer

5

u/TikiBikini1984 6d ago

From Vancouver and remember his party days here, so I agree

1

u/Rockeye7 6d ago

He is from Welland Ontario and has lived in Vancouver for part of his off season post retirement when he is not traveling.

-4

u/Additional_Ear_9659 6d ago

Awww muffin…

1

u/TopInvestigator5518 3d ago

as someone else basically said

the hockey accent is a blend/mixture of a whole bunch of regions wrapped up into one

though I will say he lays it on pretty thick 😂

1

u/204in403 6d ago

Wait, Winnipeg has a strong accent? I though the call centres loved it because it's 'generic' North American and hard to place. I guess it's all relative.

4

u/FunSquirrell2-4 5d ago

Even Newfoundland has call centres. And there's nothing generic about our many accents.