Nashville Predators Name Mike Fisher Captain

NASHVILLE, TN — Call him "Fish." Call him "Mr. Carrie Underwood." And call him "Captain."

The Nashville Predators announced Thursday that center Mike Fisher will be the team's seventh captain, replacing Shea Weber who was traded to Montreal in June in a blockbuster deal that brought P.K. Subban to Music City.

Fisher, 36, is entering his 17th season in the National Hockey League. He played his 1,000th game in March and tied for the team lead in goals during the playoffs. During his stint in Nashville — he spent the first 10-plus seasons of his career in Ottawa before being traded in the middle of the 2010-11 season — he has been the team's nominee for the King Clancy Award, which is given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy contribution in the community, four times. He won the NHL Foundation Award for community service in 2012. He has served as one of the Predators' alternate captain for four seasons.

“It is the right time for Mike to be the captain in our history,” Predators general manager David Poile said. “In my mind, he could’ve easily been the captain many times in his career, but this is his time. It’s the perfect fit. You look for the characteristics you want in a captain in terms of the personal life, how he conducts himself, the role model part of it, and it’s A-plus with him.”

The Predators will ice a relatively young team when the season starts next month. Fisher is one of four players — Mike Ribiero, Pekka Rinne and newly-acquired Matt Carle are the others — who is over the age of 30.

“It will be really special to wear the ‘C’,” Fisher said. “There’s no question it’s an honor, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to wear it for a great organization, great people and a great team. I believe they’ve given it to me for a reason, and I want to continue to do what I’ve always done, but more because I want to help this team win a Stanley Cup.”

Image via NHL