The Nashville Predators and their fans are saying goodbye today as 37-year-old forward Mike Fisher has announced his retirement from the NHL.
Fisher, 37, was unable to find a new home on the free agency market after posting 42 points in 72 games last season for Nashville in the final year of his two-year, $8.8 million deal.
“This job I’ve been able to have for a majority of my life is so much fun” Fisher said in a special post on 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, the sixth captain in franchise history, finishes with 585 points in 1,088 career NHL games across 17 seasons in the league.
“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.
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.”
Fisher, who was the 44th-overall pick in 1998 draft, played 10 seasons with the Ottawa Sentors before being traded to the Predators in 2011.
Fisher became the team captain in 2016 after Nashville Shea Weber was traded to Montreal last offseason.