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