Roshan's Blog-O-Matic: Friday, September 09, 2005

Friday, September 09, 2005

MIKE FISHER #12 (FIH-shur)
Born: June 5, 1980 (Peterborough, Ontario) Size: 6'1", 200 lbs Position: Centre Shoots: Right Resides: Bridgenorth, Ontario 2003-2004 Club(s): Ottawa (NHL) Acquired: Signed: 9/25/99 Drafted: 1998 NHL Entry Draft Ottawa's second round pick, 44th overall Transactions: None Last Amateur Club: Sudbury (OHL), 1998-99

Mike Fisher was the second round selection of the Ottawa Senators in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and has made an immediate impression on his new club. In his first NHL training camp he turned several heads and almost made the club as an 18-year old. Fisher was ultimately one of the final cuts of the camp, but he left knowing that he was close to making the leap to the big leagues. Back in Junior with the Sudbury Wolves, Fisher continued to play with confidence and ended up with 41 goals and 106 points, which more then doubled his output from the previous year. The 1999 training camp would see Fisher continue his ascent as he made the club. His luck, however, was soon to change. The young center's season got off to a good start but a knee injury early into the season cost him the rest of his season. In 32 games he had managed four goals and nine points. The following year, with his knee recovered, Fisher played 60 games and recorded 19 points. The Senators were hoping Fisher could elevate his game for the 2001-02 season because they had dealt away scoring star Alexei Yashin in the off-season and the team would need to find some more goals. Fisher, who had already impressed the Ottawa brass with his solid two-way play would be expected to provide more offense and he did not disappoint by scoring 15 goals, though a shoulder injury limited him to 58 games. Fisher returned healthy in 2002-03 before an elbow injury limited his 2003-04 season to a mere 24 games. On the international stage, Fisher represented his homeland at the 2005 World Championships.

In 74 games, Fisher scored 38 points this season (18 goals, 20 assists), and if that doesn't sound like he belongs with the others, just give him a chance. Fans haven't had the opportunity to discover what he's capable of doing yet, because Fisher is in his fourth season and has been injured for much of the first three. However, in his final year of junior hockey in Sudbury, he registered 106 points, so there's the belief that he can put up some big numbers for the Senators. The 6-foot-one, 193-pound centre was Ottawa's second-round draft pick in 1998. He was keyed-up on draft day, saying, "I didn't know what to expect. There are so many factors involved and I had no idea where I was going. When they called my name I was pretty excited. It worked out well - I had a lot of family with me, and it was a real blessing for me to come to Ottawa." However, Fisher, a feisty two-way player, suffered injuries in his first three NHL seasons which forced him to miss a considerable amount of playing time. In a December 1999 game against Boston, he took a hit on the inside of his knee and missed the rest of the year after having reconstructive surgery on his Anterior Cruciate Ligamate (ACL). He played in just 32 games. The following season, he sat out 22 contests with a shoulder injury. In 2001-02, shoulder injuries again sidelined him for 24 games.

Fisher says his faith helped to sustain him when he left his home in Peterborough, Ontario, at age 17 to play hockey in Sudbury. "It was tough moving away," says Fisher. "I didn't have any Christian friends on the team and I didn't live with a Christian family. But I grew up in such a great family - they were very instrumental." He adds, "When you get older you have to make your own decisions, you have to learn for yourself what's important. And they really helped influence me from an early age." And how did his faith help him when he joined the NHL? "The biggest thing in coming to Ottawa was to establish right up front what my lifestyle was going to be. They know I'm a Christian, and they respect that as long as you respect them."