Red Fisher is a mythical name in sports journalism.
Fisher’s death on Friday at 91 sent shockwaves through the National Hockey League community, and stories upon stories -- snippets of Fisher and his life -- began circulation around the Internet, many on Twitter by those who worked alongside him and those who had the pleasure to speak with the man.
Fisher’s life will be immortalized in print in the coming days. Michael Farber wrote this beautifully done piece for the Montreal Gazette already today. A must-read.
Here’s what his contemporary’s are saying, those that revere him and the people who Fisher made an impact on in so many ways:
NHL asked for three references when they checked me out before hiring me in February 2016. I gave them Geoff Molson, Yvan Cournoyer and Red Fisher. They called Geoff and Yvan. I guess seeing Red's name was enough #RIPRedFisher
— Dave Stubbs 🇨🇦 (@Dave_Stubbs) January 20, 2018
I owe so much to Red Fisher. I do what I do basically because of him. Was truly an honour that I got to at least sit in the press box at the same time as him. I'm incredibly saddened by this news. Rest in peace, Red.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) January 19, 2018
One of my treasured moments was in 2005 when Red Fisher pulled me aside and told me he enjoyed my coverage of the NHL lockout. I was shocked he knew who I even was. My knees almost gave. His nod of approval meant so much to me. Absolute legend
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 19, 2018
I remember asking Red Fisher at the closing of the Montreal Forum what made it such a special place. “Nothing,” he said. “It’s just a building. What made it remarkable were the people in it.”
— Gord Miller 🌻 🏳️🌈 (@GMillerTSN) January 19, 2018
Red was one of those special people. He’ll be missed by all whose lives he touched.
Red Fisher was wonderfully cranky, occasionally ill tempered, and often intimidating but he had the best understanding of hockey and the best ways of explaining hockey people and their hockey lives than any journalist I've ever known.
— Steve Simmons (@simmonssteve) January 19, 2018
A table in Bell Centre media dining room was known as Red Fisher's table. No one sat there until Red invited you. When he did it was sign of respect. Never forget the day I got the invite. Thanks, Red, for allowing me to sit + chat all those times with the legend you were. RIP.
— Mike Zeisberger (@Zeisberger) January 19, 2018
So sad to hear of passing of Red Fisher, an absolute legend in our industry. Glad we got to name one of our top honours @ThePHWA after Red. In typical Red fashion, took a while to convince him to lend his name to jt. He relented. "Ah, whatever, I don't give a shit." He was proud.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 19, 2018
My Red Fisher moment: When we first met at the Montreal Forum in the early 90’s, he walked up to me and said, “Hey Gino, Jean Beliveau wanted me to pass on a message to you...” the rest didn’t matter. The fact they both knew I even existed is a moment I’ll never forget.
— Gino Reda (@GinoRedaTSN) January 19, 2018
Red Fisher telling the story of his first assignment— The Rocket Richard Riot at the Montreal Forum, March 17, 1955. pic.twitter.com/j2s2ZH1XvZ
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 19, 2018
Commissioner Bettman statement on the passing of Red Fisher. https://t.co/VQUrNIZS7n pic.twitter.com/tDjbHtIEL8
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 19, 2018
When I was 10 years old I had a paper route delivering the Montreal Gazette. One of my fondest memories of that route was waking up every morning at 5:00am & thinking to myself that I'm one of the first people that gets to read what Red Fisher wrote today. So Sad. RIP Mr. Fisher. https://t.co/LzqCZM2zK1
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) January 19, 2018
#Habs @HockeyHallFame icon @19LarryRobinson, laughing tonight: "Red congratulated me on one of my Norris trophies. He said, 'Nice going, Larry, but I didn't vote for you.' I said, 'That's OK, Red... I didn't need your vote.' He loved that." #RIPRedFisher
— Dave Stubbs 🇨🇦 (@Dave_Stubbs) January 20, 2018