Fisher was link to Canadiens’ glory
Legendary Montreal Gazette sportswriter dead at age 91
Red Fisher, the chronicler and the conscience of Montreal hockey whose career touched seven decades, died Friday at age 91.
Fisher started on the Canadiens beat in 1955 in the era of train travel and finished it in 2012 when reporters tweeted the lines at morning skates.
The man knew how to make an entrance: The first game he covered was the Richard Riot, that singular marriage of hockey, sociology and, ultimately, mythology that has marked Quebec for generations. Fisher was the link to the most glorious of the Canadiens teams — he never would refer to them in print as the Habs, one of several unwritten Red Rules — and covered 17 of their record 24 Stanley Cups.
Along the way, the journalist who was believed to be the longestserving beat man covering the major North American leagues collected three National Newspaper Awards and thousands of tales, entertaining readers and often ennobling hockey.
Fisher received one of Canada’s highest civilian honours on Dec. 29, 2017, when he was named a member of the Order of Canada “for his contributions to sports journalism, notably for his iconic coverage of the Montreal Canadiens hockey franchise.”
“He was the best of his time,” Canadiens Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden wrote in an email, “and his time lasted a very long time.”
Although he was prominent on Hockey Night in Canada with the Fisher Report and worked as a colour analyst on Canadiens broadcasts, Fisher was better known for the written word.
He was a distinctive writer, often bypassing the who-what-wherewhy journalism conventions for something as informative but more stylish, punctuated with tics and flourishes that hardened into an inimitable style.
His deadline game stories were not newspaper-y, but 800-word novellas, replete with heroes, villains and plot. The gift for narrative and analysis made him the definitive voice on hockey’s heritage franchise at the Montreal Star and, for 33 years, at the Gazette.
“There were a lot of intelligent people in the (media) business, but he was one of the most astute,” New York Rangers president Glen Sather said. “He was intelligent, analytical.”
Dryden added: “When things would go wrong for the team or for me, I would search for answers. If I couldn’t find them, I would say to myself: ‘I wonder what Red thinks’ and wait for the next day’s paper. I never did that with anyone else.”
Once, when winger Mark Recchi failed to deliver after a post-game playoff victory, Fisher spun on his heels and headed toward the dressing room, theatrically muttering, “Cliches, cliches, cliches.”
Hockey pants around his ankles, Recchi hobbled after him, asking: “But Red, what did you want me to say?”
Fisher wanted a good tale, a nugget that might illuminate a play or a game. Even as reporting became more breathless in the internet age, Fisher remained circumspect.
“He liked the story but hated the rumour,” Sather said.
In his 1994 memoirs, Hockey, Heroes and Me, Fisher wrote his favourite four-letter word was “fair.” He would leave cheap shots and bons mots to others, not that he avoided the clever and cutting when the situation demanded.
During the 1970s when Scotty Bowman was stonewalling an injury to Montreal’s first-line centre, Fisher wrote: “Jacques Lemaire is doubtful for tonight’s game with what Canadiens coach Scotty Bowman describes as an upset stomach. The pain, however, has gone all the way up to his slightly separated shoulder.”
Perhaps his most sensational story came in 1970. Fisher obtained a financial report presented by NHL president Clarence Campbell to the board of governors that stated: “Even though our return to the players last season was at an all-time low, our profits were at an all-time high.”
Fisher wrote a five-part series about player salaries and benefits, a sensation that netted him the first of his National Newspaper Awards. The series embarrassed the NHL and cost Fisher a regular slot on Hockey Night in Canada intermissions.
Fisher worked until he was 85. Tillie, Fisher’s wife of 69 years, died on Jan. 9, at age 90.
Fisher is survived by children Ian and Cheryl, and grandson Ryan.