Montreal’s most famous sports writer was laid to rest on Wednesday.
Red Fisher, who covered the Montreal Canadiens for almost six decades, mostly for the Montreal Gazette newspaper, passed away on Jan. 19.
His first story was the Richard riot in 1955, the result of the suspension of Maurice (Rocket) Richard for hitting a referee.
He continued to cover the team at the heights of its success in the ’60s and ’70s and continued working right through to his retirement at age 85 in 2012. He even reported on the Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union.
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He was appointed to the Order of Canada on Dec. 29, 2017, in recognition of “his contributions to sports journalism, notably for his iconic coverage of the Montreal Canadiens’ hockey franchise.”
At his funeral were several hockey greats including former Habs goalie and former Liberal MP Ken Dryden.
Another former player, Chris Nilan, remembers Fisher as someone who had a certain reputation.
“Seeing him walking around the room not talkin’ to rookies, you know? “I wondered who he was and asked Bob Gainey, ‘Who’s that guy?’ Because all the reporters come and talk to everybody all the time. He says, ‘Oh, that’s Red Fisher.’
“And I found myself doing that about a year later, after he talked to me finally.”
Fisher died at age 91.
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