HIS ‘HARDEST DECISION’
Mike Fisher exits after 17 seasons
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 made the No. 44 overall pick in Round 2 of the NHL draft in 1998 and still looks like he has plenty of gas left in his tank — retired to spend more time with his family and now he’ll prepare for the next chapter in his life.
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 wrote in the letter to The Tennessean. “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.
“This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I know I’ve made the right one. I’ve decided to retire from the NHL.”
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. I believe God gave me the ability to play hockey, and I was helped by dozens of individuals along the way, so it’s not just up to me on when it’s time to say goodbye.”
While he is gone from the game, Fisher won’t be forgotten because he still has strong ties to the Ottawa area and he was a community leader when owner Eugene Melnyk and former Senators 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 the 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 hardworking individual, a wonderful son, husband, father and true community leader.
“I wish him, his wife Carrie, son Isaiah, the very best in their continued journey in life. Godspeed Mike.”
Fisher had to work for everything he got in the game and that’s why he was a fan favourite. He played a rugged, hard-nosed style and every goal he scored was a result of doing what’s right to make it happen.
Senators assistant GM Randy Lee still remembers when an 18-year-old Fisher and winger Chris Neil, who became best friends off the ice, showed up for their first development camp with the club in 1998.
“I think he and Chris Neil went to the same hairdresser and they got these frosted tips when they came to camp,” Lee said from his office. “I was thinking, ‘Who are these two beauties?’ They were just fun people. Just naive, innocent kids that loved hockey and said, ‘Yes sir, no sir, what do we have to do to become hockey players?’
“It was a really refreshing time to deal with them and they’ve come a long way. Some guys, when they initially saw Fisher, they loved his work ethic, liked everything he brought to the table in terms of his compete level, his ultracompetitiveness, but they didn’t know how far he would go.”
Lee noted there was always something special about Fisher.
“He had that intangible, that characteristic that was going to make him exceed people’s expectations,” said Lee. “He’s got the intangible that was going to make him be the player that people didn’t think he would become and he was.
“He was an integral part of the Ottawa Senators.”
Fisher said in his letter it’s difficult to leave after a successful season, but the time is right and that time is now.
“Knowing we were so close to winning it all in June only makes it more difficult to leave it behind, but I do so with hope. Endings are always tough, but I believe when something ends, there are new beginnings, new opportunities and new things to be excited for, too,” Fisher wrote.
“I believe that this team, that this city, is going to win a championship, and I’m going to be the biggest fan. No one will be happier than I will be to see it happen, because these fans, they deserve it.”
Mike has to be one of the greatest examples of what every person should strive to become.