"There's so many guys that do a great job that are leaders and do work in the community, and there's so many guys that are deserving of that award," Fisher said. "I appreciate it that they think of me that way. That definitely means a lot."
Fisher has 18 goals and 42 points this season - his highest total since the 2013-14 season - and has led his team to a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive campaign. And while it's easy to see Fisher's leadership ability on the ice - an alternate captain in four consecutive seasons before being named captain last summer - it's his contributions off the ice which aren't always as visible, but are just as impactful.
Fisher works closely with Room In The Inn, a full-service homeless facility in Nashville, Cottage Cove Urban Ministries, a Nashville based nonprofit that serves inner city youth, and Rocketown, a local youth outreach facility, among his many charitable endeavors. For the Peterborough, Ontario, native, giving back is just the right thing to do.
"I feel like I've been blessed and given a platform to play this game, and I enjoy helping and I think that's why there's a greater purpose than just playing hockey," Fisher said. "That's where you get your real satisfaction, I believe, is doing some of those things to help other people and just be more about other people than yourself. If you can do that, and sometimes I wish I could do more and did more, but those are some of the fulfilling things, knowing that you're given the ability for a reason and to use it in the right ways."
The nominees from each club will be narrowed to three at a later date prior to the NHL Awards in late June before a winner is chosen. And as far as Fisher's teammate, goaltender Pekka Rinne, is concerned, the choice should be an easy one.
"To me, it always seems like he does the right thing, and he's a great role model," Rinne said of Fisher. "It's not only the things that he donates or gives money or his time or anything like that, but I think it's more than that, it's the way he thinks about life and thinks about other people. It's just awesome."
