Fischler turns 90, legendary hockey journalist 'marvel and a wonder'

Stan Fischler enjoyed his 90th birthday Thursday exactly where you would expect to find someone who has spent a lifetime writing and talking about hockey -- at an NHL game.

The New York Islanders celebrated Fischler's birthday during their 5-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at UBS Arena and presented him with a framed, autographed jersey. A New York native and hockey historian whose career has spanned nearly 70 years as a journalist and author of more than 100 books, Fischler also worked for more than 40 years as a television analyst, beginning with the Hartford Whalers and moving on to the Islanders, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils before retiring in 2018.

"Everybody loves Stan," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "He's just a marvel and a wonder. His connection to this game over seven decades has been amazing and he's done it in print media, he's done it on broadcast media, he's done it in writing books. He is 'the Maven' and he's 90 years young and we just wish him the best."
For a career that began when he was hired to write about the Eastern League while at Brooklyn College, which he graduated from in 1954, Fischler has been honored as a 2021 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, the 2007 recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding contributions to American hockey and a seven-time Emmy Award winner. So it would be understandable if he spent his retirement resting on his laurels and relaxing.
But to the surprise of no one, Fischler continues to write, producing The Fischler Report with news from around the NHL and articles about hockey history for NHL.com and the Islanders and Devils websites.
"His enthusiasm is incredible, and the gift of his memory is impeccable," said former Islanders and Devils goalie Glenn "Chico" Resch, who worked with Fischler as an analyst on Devils telecasts. "What I like about Stan is he not only kept redefining himself, but he was on the front edge of where sports reporting had gone. He was first one to be critical of players in the '70s. I remember as a player being told, 'You've got to do an interview with Stan,' and it was like, 'Oh no. What's he going to ask me? Is he going to put me on the spot?'"
Resch, now a Devils radio analyst, also pointed out that Fischler was ahead of his time with the introduction of The Fischler Report in 1992. Fischler was among the first to compile news and rumors from around NHL with assistance from interns and reporters in cities throughout the League.
Jessica Berman, formerly vice president, community development, culture and growth at the NHL and Deputy Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League before being named Commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League on March 9, experienced it firsthand while interning for Fischler in 1997.
"He was really a lot of people's confidant," Berman said. "His relationships in the hockey ecosystem were so deep. That gossip column in the Fischler report, before social media, that's when people found out about what was happening in the hockey world before Darren Dreger was posting or Bob McKenzie (with TSN in Canada). He was the insider.
"I believe the Fischler Report came out on Monday mornings and people would wait for that and that's how you knew trade rumors and what was going on and what personnel positions might be opening and who was doing what."

Along the way, Fischler has encouraged and mentored others in the business. He supported his late wife, Shirley, when she broke barriers and became the first woman to report from the press box at Madison Square Garden, and a host of interns such as Berman and Frank Brown, who received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019 for his work with the NHL's communications department and at the New York Daily News.
Fischler also helped some he hardly knew initially. When Devils radio announcer Matt Loughlin got his start working part-time on Devils telecasts in the early 1990s, Fischler reached out to him offering to help him set up interviews with players on opposing teams.
"He'd say, 'This guy's a good talker. He gives you good answers. I'll set it up. I'll call the PR guys,'" recalled Loughlin, who later teamed with Fischler during pregame and intermissions on Devils telecasts. "He made it easy for me. In this business where people are insecure, who are worried about, 'the younger guy might be taking my gig, why should I help him?,' he could not have opened more doors than he did to make it easy for me and I'll forever be thankful."
An encounter with Fischler usually begins with a joke or story from hockey's golden age. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has been hearing them since he joined the Devils as their GM in 1987.
"A friendship and a relationship started that continues to this day," Lamoriello said. "What you have to really love about Stan is the love and passion he has for the game and what he's brought in his own way. Once you can get by his storytelling and his jokes, you can enjoy every minute. But just a great ambassador for the game."
Brown said Fischler's passion for the game and desire to share his vast knowledge of its history continue to be his driving force. Fischler has followed the careers of some of the greatest names in the sport, from Gordie Howe to Wayne Gretzky to the current generation with Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.
As Brown noted, "He won the Lester Patrick, but he knew Lester."
And he still has more stories to tell.
"Why would you stop when it has been the engine that propelled you forward on so many levels?" Brown said. "In print, in broadcast, he has spanned generations. The two iconic Hall of Fame names are Elmer Ferguson and [broadcaster] Foster Hewitt. If I'm not mistaken, Elmer's plaque talks about a 70-year career and Stan, whose first articles were published in the '50s, is in his eighth decade from a print standpoint and he managed to mix in about 40 years on broadcast in terms of Emmy-winning excellence.
"He could qualify with ease for either of those recognitions, which there aren't many who could make that claim."
NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen contributed to this report