Fisher Gone: The Day After

( photo via dailycontributor.com)

I was happy when I received the TSN alert about the Fisher trade to Nashville. This is the first move that will beckon a new era for Ottawa. I have no attachment to this player since a) I didn't know him personally and b) I thought he was ok. A complimentary player who worked his ass off "every shift" and didn't seem to have a bad bone in his body. Great in the community and loved by everyone in the city. But change is always good.

Here are some of the reasons why I'm ok with the trade:

- Ottawa received 2 draft picks. Talkin' about a rebuilding revolution.
- His time with the team was past due. He's 30 and his point production does not merit his salary.
- He gets to live in the city where his wife calls home. This might be a big shocker, but hockey players do have lives.
- His play has declined over the last couple years. I know that he was the leading scorer for the Sens last year with 25 goals, but that shows you how weak the team was.
- Frees up tons of cap space and allows a youngin' to step in.
- The official end of the old school Sens. Out with the old, in with the new.

Let me make this clear: he was an integral part of this team for years. We should all be thankful for his 11 years of service. Do I feel bad that he's been traded? No. He is not sad about it either. He's playing for a team in a playoff spot and his wife lives there. Is this a case of Janet Jones-ism? Quite possibly...and if it is who cares? Fisher has a right to have a happy life with his superstar wife. Do we care that a crappy Ottawa radio station banned Carrie Underwood from their station (even though they never play her JC friendly jams)? That's a parliament sized hell no. Do I have a strange habit of answering my own questions? Most definitely.

Fisher represent the Senators old school core of players. Everybody and their sisters are upset and sad about all this. At the same time, everybody was yelling bloody murder and wanted to push down on the dynamite blast machine to blow up this team. It's finally happening. The dawn of a new ice age begins now at Scotiabank Place. Fisher et al. had their chance at taking this franchise to the next level by winning a cup. They were dominant for close to 10 years. A top 5 team. Those days are long gone as we've all painfully witnessed this season. You shouldn't be sad about Fisher leaving. You should be sad about the next 2 to 4 years for the Sens. It's going to be agonizing to watch. This is what happens to a team that does not prepare for the future (like Detroit) and is on the rebuild. The quick fix doesn't fix shit. It usually backfires and you have nothing to show for it (Stillman, Comrie, Beaupre, the list goes on and on...) The Leafs can attest to this for their teams, present and past.

So long Mike. You were sometimes excellent, mostly a blue collar factory worker who always punched in with vigor for his next shift. Your time came and went. It's time for you to find a new church in the Country Music Capital. All the best...and thanks for all the Fish.

You can read my Mike Fisher obituary on the Cory Clouston Fashion Review right here.

-MP