Fisher has no regrets about coming out of retirement to play for Preds
Open to remaining with Nashville in a non-playing capacity after retiring for a second time
Now that he had retired from the National Hockey League for a second time, Peterborough native Mike Fisher says he is open to the possibility of remaining with the Nashville Predators in a nonplaying capacity.
“We’ll see. I’m sure we’ll have some conversations in the future,” Fisher told NHL.com this week. “Right now I don’t really know what that’s going to look like. But we’ll see.”
After retiring at the end of the 2016-17 season after Nashville lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals, Fisher came out of retirement earlier this year to rejoin the Predators for their playoff run.
Their season came to an end on May 10 with a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 of their Western Conference semi-final series.
Fisher then confirmed on Saturday he would be retiring again and has no plans to come out of retirement again.
“I’ve milked this cow as long as it’ll go,” Fisher told NHL.com. “It’s bone dry.”
Fisher and his wife country singer Carrie Underwood were vacationing in California’s Napa Valley this week. They reside in the Nashville area.
Fisher, who was captain of the Predators in the 2016-17 season after being traded to Nashville in 2011 by the Ottawa Senators, signed a contract Feb. 26 and returned to play 16 regular season games with the Predators, scoring two goals and two assists, and then had one goal in 12 playoff games.
Fisher suffered a lower-body injury in Game 6 of the series with Winnipeg and did not play in the heart-breaking Game 7.
“You don’t want to be cleaning out your locker in May, there’s no question,” Fisher told NHL.com.
“I had a great three months or whatever it was. I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed coming to work with these guys. It was a great group of people, from the players to the whole organization and staff.”
But he has no regrets about coming out of retirement.
“I’m glad I came back. It was awesome,” Fisher told NHL.com.
“Obviously disappointing, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I know this team, they’ll learn and grow and be better. There’s a lot to look forward to.”
Fisher was taken by the Senators in the second round (No. 44) of the 1998 NHL draft.
Fisher finished his NHL run with 589 points (278 goals, 311 assists) in 1,104 NHL games with the Predators and Senators.
He had 52 points (24 goals, 28 assists) in 146 playoff games and played in the Stanley Cup final with the Senators in 2007 and the Predators 10 years after that.
Fisher had six 20-goal seasons in the NHL. In 2009-10 with the Senators he finished with 25 goals and 53 points.