Defender of Faith, Revised Edition: The Mike Fisher Story

By Kim Washburn

The revised edition of Defender of Faith describes the extraordinary true story of professional hockey player, Mike Fisher, who grew up to became one of the NHL's greatest stars, now married to country singer Carrie Underwood. He has been has been nominated for the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the league, he’s competed in the Stanley Cup finals, and he’s been a former alternate captain for the Ottawa Senators. Today he plays professionally for the Nashville Predators and is an active humanitarian, using his fame to benefit others and putting his faith in Christ first—both on and off the ice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Aug 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9780310747178

Kim Washburn

Kim Washburn comenzó su carrera en el mundo editorial con Enfoque a la Familia. Después de trabajar en el equipo de mercadeo para los libros de esa organización, se convirtió en editora asociada para su revista mensual. Desde 1997 estuvo a cargo de evaluar obras para jóvenes, escribió textos originales y ayudo a crear una revista refinada, entretenida y edificante. Dios de sus historias fueron premiadas por la Asociación Evangélica de Prensa, incluyendo un primer lugar en la categoría ficción.

Book preview

1

Some Kind of Pain

March 16, 2006

Hockey is many things. Wimpy is not one of them.

In early 2006, the Ottawa Senators were charging toward the playoffs. They were the highest-scoring team in the National Hockey League (NHL) with nearly four goals per game. By the middle of March, the Senators had won eight of their last nine games. And veteran Mike Fisher had scored and scrapped all season to help his team become a favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

On March 16, the Senators were in Boston, down a goal and down a man on the penalty kill. Fisher intercepted the puck and carried it the length of the ice, driving to the net.

A Bruin defenseman picked him up on the wing, cutting off the angle to the net. Together they skidded by the goal line. Mike’s right leg got caught for a split second and bent as he fell to the ice. With his leg folded behind him, he slid into the end boards. When he hit the wall, his body tensed as his twisted ankle took the brunt of the force.

Grimacing, Mike got to his knees, stood up slowly, and tried to skate. But his ankle couldn’t take the weight. He knelt on the ice, his face stressed in pain.

The announcer calling the game knew it was bad news. One thing you know about Mike Fisher is he’s not going to lay around the ice, he said, watching the trainer come out to help with the injury. "He’d get himself off. He had to be in some kind of pain . . . That is one guy you can not afford to lose at this time of the season."

Ottawa Sun hockey writer Bruce Garrioch wrote, I nearly cried when I saw Fisher go down.

He wasn’t the only one.

SensNation — red-wearing, towel-waving fans of the team — loved the gritty, hardworking passion of number twelve. His teammates needed his aggressive speed on both ends of the ice. And for Mike, the only thing more painful than playing the postseason on a broken ankle would be missing it altogether.

Mike had to be helped off the ice and back into the training room. It would have been easy to cave to all the bad news — the sharp pain of the ankle, a long injury that could keep him from playing for the Cup, the ache of watching the ultimate competition from the sidelines. Mike glanced at the game clock on the wall and tried to hold on to something encouraging.

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Fisher drives past Brad Stuart (#6) of the Boston Bruins.

Ticking down the seconds of the game, the digital clock on the wall paused for a stoppage of play with twelve minutes, twelve seconds left in the game.

12:12. Mike did a double take. Right away I thought Romans 12:12: ‘Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.’ ¹

With a deep breath, Mike refocused — but not on his circumstances and injury. Instead, he focused on the promise of his faith. After all, he was more than a hockey player. He was first a follower of God. Here in a lonely training room on the road, Mike’s faithful God reminded him of a tender truth. It was kind of just God saying, ‘You know what? Be patient and trust in me and lean on me and things will work out.’ ²

And they did. To the amazement of everyone who winced at the replay and squinted at the slow motion footage, Mike’s ankle wasn’t broken. I got back in less than three weeks, which was surprising to me, he admitted.³

After fifteen years in professional sports, Mike knows as well as anyone that pressures and distractions can come as fast as slap shots. So how does somebody maintain focus on what’s truly important in the middle of tough circumstances — slumps, criticism, contracts, expectations, injuries, ego, media . . . ?

Mike’s unwavering focus stems from his faith in God. Planted first by his family, his faith grew into the stabilizing force in his life. But it didn’t happen overnight. Cultivating strength of character and conviction when surroundings are unpredictable takes serious training and practice. And Mike has had plenty.

After all, hockey is many things. But wimpy isn’t one of them.

2

Where It All Started

1980s

On June 5, 1980, the New York Islanders had a Stanley Cup, nineteen-year-old Wayne Gretzky had played only one NHL season, and Ottawa hadn’t had a pro hockey team for forty-six years. None of that concerned Jim and Karen Fisher, who were welcoming their newborn son, Michael Andrew. By 1987, the Fishers had a full house in Peterborough, Ontario, with their children Rob, Mike, Meredith, and Bud.

Before Mike even gripped a stick and fired a clapper, Mike had two serious fans — his mom and dad. They could list each of their children’s qualities better than any seasoned talent scout. About young Mike, his mom noticed, He could be quiet at times, but he just loved having activity. He always loved being around people.

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The Fisher Family, 1991 (l to r): Mike, Meredith, Rob, Bud, Karen, and Jim

But just because he liked a crowd didn’t mean he simply followed the crowd. He had a mind of his own for sure. His strong will and independence generally served him well — even if it got him into a little trouble from time to time. I know one incident, his mom revealed, where he was disciplined and he said, ‘That didn’t even hurt!’

As he grew, Mike showed his dad’s quiet strength, sincerity, and self-assurance. And like his mom, he was competitive and compassionate to the core.

For the Fisher family, faith was significant and central. They worshiped at church. They prayed at home. They held hands as Dad led grace before meals. And they said their prayers at bedtime. [We stressed] praying for other people and thanking God, Mrs. Fisher recalled.

So early on, Mike had a mind for eternity and spiritual things. He was just always asking questions, very concerned about people who have passed on, his mom said. "Sometimes I would think, Whoa, heavy stuff here."

Watching his parents live out their faith, Mike was captivated by Christ early. When I was six years old, I made the step of faith to accept him into my heart, he said. I remember I prayed with my mom before I went to school. I didn’t want to wait any longer.¹

Feeling honored and lucky to have a relationship with Jesus, Mike humbly realized the gift of salvation. His faith was young, but his belief was grounded in a heart where it would grow. It’s hard to do it on your own, he acknowledged later. A lot of people and Christian friends and family and people around me are praying for me, encouraging me, and walking along with me.²

Of course he wasn’t interested in only spiritual matters. He loved physical things too — very physical. He loved sports, just from day one, his mom said. He was very competitive, and I think part of it was that he had an older brother, so he always wanted to prove himself.

Mike played some baseball and volleyball — loved to compete in anything really — but he excelled in hockey. Watching Gretzky dominate was cool. Wearing a Montreal jersey was neat. Cheering for the closest Canadian team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, was good. But really, Mike wanted to play.

Big brother Rob could compete, and Mike wanted to keep up with him. When Bud came along seven years after Mike, the Fisher boys had their goalie. We’d just put pads on him, because we wanted someone to shoot on downstairs in the basement, Mike grinned.

With four active kids at all ages, they hustled from one thing to the next. At one point, the Fishers had three boys in hockey and a daughter in either synchronized swimming or figure skating. It was just go, go, go, said Mike. But dinner was still important, and we’d try to sit down as a family. Sometimes after we’d do a little bit of a devotional, get into the Bible. That was an important thing for us.

Mike’s dad worked in the family-owned business, and his mom was a nurse, but they soon realized that supporting their kids and shuttling them to their activities was a full-time job. So Mom retired to stay home. They were there to support me and take me where I needed to go, Mike realized, and it was a total act of selflessness.

When it came to competing, the Fishers really just wanted their kids to have fun. My parents were pretty relaxed, let me make my decisions where I wanted to play and when I wanted to play.

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Mike, age 7

They thought of sports as a means to an end — but the end wasn’t the big leagues. Mike’s parents had longer goals in mind. [Mike’s dad] and I have always loved sports and been active in sports, so we were keen to have our kids have that too, Mrs. Fisher explained. "We always thought of sports as being good