Professional Male Athlete of the Year
A native of Peterborough, Ontario, Mike Fisher led the Nashville Predators to their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final in his one and only season as team captain. During his 17 seasons, he amassed 585 points in 1,088 regular-season games and 51 more in 134 postseason contests. He helped Ottawa reach the 2007 Stanley Cup Final and earned silver medals with Canada at the 2005 and 2009 World Championships. Fisher became the 300th player in NHL history to play in his 1,000th career game on March 3, 2016 vs. New Jersey. Six months later on Sept. 8, he received the honor of being named the sixth captain in Nashville Predators history after serving seven consecutive seasons as an alternate captain and member of the team’s leadership group for both the Senators and Predators.
Upon his trade to the Nashville Predators in February 2011, Fisher immediately entrenched himself in the Nashville community, and was honored for his tireless dedication when he was honored as the 2012 NHL Foundation Award winner, which recognizes an NHL player who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork – to enrich the lives of people in his community. His faith is the largest driving force behind who he is and how he operates. What fans see publicly through his community service only scratches the surface of his work, because he chooses to do so much anonymously. Although Mike Fisher prefers to perform community service without fanfare, he does understand the importance of getting the word out about the organizations he supports so others may join in on his efforts.