Preds’ Fisher says it’s the ‘right time to walk away’

OT TAWA • Mike Fisher went out on his own terms Thursday.

After 17 NHL seasons — including 11 with the Ottawa Senators — the Nashville Predators captain officially hung up his skates by penning a letter that appeared in The Tennessean newspaper and on the club’s website.

At 37 years old, Fisher — who the Senators took No. 44 overall in the 1998 NHL draft and still looks like he has plenty of gas left in his tank — retired to spend more time with his family.

After making a trip to the Stanley Cup final with the Predators last spring, the veteran centre decided the time was right to step away from the game to be with his wife, singer Carrie Underwood, and the couple’s son Isaiah.

“This job I’ve been able to have for a majority of my life is so much fun,” Fisher said in the letter. “To help create that entertainment and to see the joy we can bring to people is such a unique and exciting opportunity. I’ ll miss my teammates, my coaches and the game itself.”

Fisher said the time is right for him to move on. He called the decision “bittersweet” and only wishes the organization could have hosted a parade down Broadway Boulevard where the faithful fans gathered for what turned out to be a memorable Stanley Cup final atmosphere.

“I kept praying for peace about the next step in my life. A peace that said this is God’s will for your future. A peace that said whether or not this was the right time to walk away,” Fisher said.

“I don’t believe it came in a single instance or some aha moment, but as time passed, I gradually became certain that it was right for me to retire.”

Fisher still has strong ties to the Ottawa area and was a community leader when Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and former general manager Bryan Murray decided to move him to the Predators so he could be with Underwood in Nashville where the country star is based.

The Senators organization and people in the city still think highly of Fisher, who suited up for 675 games in an Ottawa uniform. Down the road, Fisher, who was the honorary chair of Roger’s House at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, will be a candidate for the team’s Ring of Honour at Canadian Tire Centre.

“Mike has to be one of the greatest examples of what every person should strive to become — not just hockey players,” Melnyk told Postmedia in an email. “He is a hard working individual, a wonderful son, husband, father and true community leader.”