Red Fisher (journalist)

For other people with the same name, see Red Fisher.

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]

Red Fisher
Fisher in December 2009
Born	Saul Fisher (1926-08-22)22 August 1926 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	19 January 2018(2018-01-19) (aged 91)
Occupation	Sports journalist
Years active	1955–2012
Spouse	Tillie Fisher ​ ​ (m. 1948; died 2018)​

Biography

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]

Books

• Fisher, Red (15 October 1994). Hockey, Heroes and Me. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 978-0-7710-3147-2.