John Muckler was a man on a mission. For the past three years, the Ottawa Senators faced Toronto in post-season play and were beaten by the Maple Leafs each time. Muckler, the Sens' General Manager, figured his team didn't have enough grit, so he decided to go out and get some.
In the days leading up to this year's NHL trading deadline, he made a couple of key deals to acquire some toughness. And by adding rugged players like Rob Ray and Vaclav Varada, Muckler figured this year the Senators should be ready to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
But as important as their presence might be, Ray and Varada wouldn't be enough unless a core of quality players was already in place. Fortunately, Ottawa has that core, with stars like Captain Daniel Alfredsson (78 points), Marian Hossa (45 goals), and 22-year-old Mike Fisher.
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.
It can be frustrating for a young player to miss so much time early in his career, but Fisher handled it well. "My faith has been pretty instrumental through it all," says Fisher, who made the Ottawa Senators when he was only 19.
"I didn't expect to make it that young and everything was looking great. But then [the injuries] happened and it makes you understand that Jesus is really in charge. It's like He says, 'You don't take the reins, I do.' He's really in charge of my career and my life."
Fisher placed his faith in Christ at a young age. "I grew up in a Christian family. (Mike has three siblings - an older brother, and a younger brother and sister.) We went to church every Sunday," he recalls. "When I was six years old, I made the step of faith to accept Him into my heart. I remember I prayed with my Mom before I went to school. I didn't want to wait any longer."
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."
While Fisher places his faith in God, Senators' Coach Jacques Martin places a lot of faith in Fisher. In an interview with The Ottawa Citizen, Martin said, "The one thing about Mike Fisher is that you know what he brings to the table every night. He's intense, and night in and night out he's our most physical player when it comes to finishing checks."
He concluded, "If we had more players finishing checks like him, we'd be a grittier hockey club."
To add a little more of that grit, Muckler acquired players he believed were necessary to challenge for the Stanley Cup; and indeed, the Senators finished atop the National Hockey League with 113 points. But after the first round, the team received an extra bonus: the Philadelphia Flyers ousted Toronto in a hard-fought, seven-game series.
"The Senators had lost to their nemesis in seven games last year, and Fisher missed the last two with an injury. Martin believes his absence was one reason why the Senators lost."
This year, however, Fisher has another year of experience under his belt; but win or lose, he's trusting God will look after him. "One of my favourite verses is Jeremiah 29:11," he says. " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'
"It's great having God to rely on, knowing He has a plan for us. We don't have to worry what's going to go on in our future or what's going to happen down the road. You just have to play your hardest, and if you're on God's team, that's the only team that's important."
Then he quickly added, "And Ottawa, too." Of course.
