New Exclusive Interview: Red Fisher (A Holiday special for Vintage Leaf readers)

Legendary Montreal writer Red Fisher remembers the Leafs in an exclusive Vintage Leaf audio interview conducted December 13, 2009.

Red Fisher is one of the most respected individuals in Canada in the sports writing field.  While he has covered many events in his illustrious career, he is perhaps best known as a highly-regarded and influential hockey writer.  Now 83, he joined the Montreal Star in the mid 1950s as a “beat” reporter, covering the Canadiens.  He has been a sports editor and columnist, and still pens pieces for the Montreal Gazette.

Fisher was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.  However, at the beginning of our conversation, he explained that he is no longer a member of the “writers” wing of the Hall-of-Fame, after the Hall determined it was no longer going to include that category going forward.  He no longer serves on the Hall-of-Fame selection committee.  He won the Elmer Ferguson award in 1985, and has twice been named winner of the National Newspaper Award for sports writing in Canada.

He is a marvelous story-teller.  I pick up our conversation as we discuss his ability to maintain objectivity as a writer while still having developed relationships with many of the athletes he covered.  He went on to discuss his memories of the Maple Leafs- including some of their outstanding players and off-ice personalities.

Mr. Fisher does not do many interviews, so I particularly appreciated his willingness to share his time- and some tremendous recollections and stories.