RIP Red Fisher

Multiple sources on Twitter, including Michael Farber and the Canadiens, reporting Fisher died today at age 91. One of the legends of hockey as well as sportswriting.

 

Met him. Wonderful man. RIP, sir.

 

Love this: 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.

Montreal loses a hockey legend as Red Fisher dies at age 91

 

First Canadiens-Bruins game I covered was at the old Garden in '88. Red was there. Of course I was curious to see a legend at work. Game over, he hiked back up the stairs to the press room, where his seat was near mine, unpacked his computer, took out a pint of Chivas and started writing. Always great to see a legend live up to the legend. He didn't drink from it, mind you. It was there as a reward for the finish line.

 

The Farber obit is wonderful.

 

One great writer to another. One of my favourite quotes from Farber's obit: "“When things would go wrong for the team or for me, I would search for answers,” Dryden wrote. “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.”

 

Canadiens beat guys raise one for Red:

Colleagues toast late, great Fisher before Canadiens game

 

Now that's respect.

 

The Richard Riot:

Richard Riot was also Red Fisher's first night covering the Canadiens

 

Amazing ...

Sanders/McCarver incident has nothing on Richard/Fisher....


R.I.P indeed ... To a life well-lived.