Red Fisher
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Fisher in December 2009
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| Born | Saul Fisher (1926-08-22)22 August 1926 |
| Died | 19 January 2018(2018-01-19) (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Sports journalist |
| Years active | 1955–2012 |
| Spouse |
Tillie Fisher
(m. 1948; died 2018) |
Saul "Red" Fisher, CM (22 August 1926 – 19 January 2018) was a Canadian sports journalist who wrote about the National Hockey League and the Montreal Canadiens in his newspaper column. Fisher received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award in 1985.[1] He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1999,[2] and became a Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in 2017.[3]
Fisher was born in Montreal in 1926 and was given the nickname "Red" for the colour of his hair as a young man.[4]
Fisher began his hockey reporting for The Montreal Star on 17 March 1955, the night of the Richard Riot.[5] He remained as writer and sports editor until the Star's demise in 1979.[5] He then joined the Montreal Gazette as sports editor (for a short time), where his columns continued to appear.[6]
He covered the Montreal Canadiens when they won five Stanley Cups in a row in the 1950s, and during their dynasty years in the 1960s and 1970s.[7] Fisher said Habs legend Dickie Moore was his closest friend.[8] He was also at the 1972 Summit Series between NHL players and the Soviet national team.[6] Fisher was known for his "no-nonsense approach" to his career, such as his refusal to talk to rookies and walk away if a player answered his questions with cliches.[6]
Fisher served as president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from 1968 to 1970.[9] He was the longest-serving beat writer to cover an NHL team. Over his career, he worked for ten editors and publishers, and won the Canadian National Newspaper Award three times.[7] His retirement was announced by Gazette publisher Alan Allnutt in a column on 8 June 2012.[10] He continued to write guest articles for the Gazette until his death.[8]
Fisher died at the age of 91 on 19 January 2018.[11][12] His wife of 69 years, Tillie Fisher, had died ten days earlier.[6]
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