Junior Fisher grew up playing hockey in the Peterborough Minor Hockey Association (
OMHA) with the rep Minor Petes program. He was drafted from Jr. A Peterborough Petes (
OHA) by the
Sudbury Wolves in the second round, 22nd overall, in the 1997
OHL Priority Draft. After putting up 49 points in 66 games in his first year with the Wolves, Fisher was drafted in the second round, 44th overall, by the
Ottawa Senators in the
1998 NHL entry draft. Returning to the OHL for one more season, Fisher recorded 106 points, fifth overall in league scoring.
Ottawa Senators Fisher debuted with the Senators in
1999–2000 and recorded 9 points in an injury-shortened 32-game rookie season. He became known for his aggressive style of play and began to also show his penchant for offensive production as he improved to 18 goals and 38 points in his fourth season in
2002–03. During the lock-out year of
2004–05, Fisher played overseas for
EV Zug in the
Swiss Nationalliga A. As NHL play resumed the next season, in
2005–06, Fisher emerged with 22 goals and 44 points, providing valuable secondary scoring for the
Spezza-
Heatley-
Alfredsson line. He helped the Senators to a first seed in the
Eastern Conference going into the playoffs, but they were defeated by the fourth-seeded division rivals
Buffalo Sabres in five games in the second round. With a career-high
plus-minus (+/-) rating of +23 in the regular season, Fisher was nominated for the
Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. He finished as second runner-up behind
Jere Lehtinen of the
Dallas Stars and trophy-winner
Rod Brind'Amour,
captain of the
Stanley Cup champion
Carolina Hurricanes. The following season, Fisher duplicated his previous campaign's goals total with 22 and improved to a personal best 26 assists and 48 points. He was kept to 68 games due to a left knee injury, sustained on December 27, 2006, against the
New York Islanders, forcing him to sit out four weeks. In the
playoffs, Fisher helped the Senators to the
2007 Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell short to the
Anaheim Ducks in five games. Fisher posted career playoff highs with 5 goals, 5 assists and 10 points in 20 games. With one year left on his contract heading into the
2007–08 season, Fisher re-signed with the Senators to a five-year, $21 million contract extension. He went on to set a career-high 23 goals that season. However, Fisher was forced to miss the
playoffs, injuring his left knee in a knee-on-knee hit from
Toronto Maple Leafs forward
Mark Bell in the final game of the regular season. , November 2009. A month and a half into the
2008–09 season, Fisher suffered another knee injury, straining a ligament in his right knee against the New York Islanders on November 17, 2008.
Nashville Predators On February 10, 2011, Fisher was traded to the
Nashville Predators in exchange for the Predators'
2011 first round draft pick (
Stefan Noesen) and a conditional pick in
2012 (Jarrod Maidens). The condition was that should the Predators win a playoff series, the Senators would receive a third-round pick, and a second round pick if the Predators won two or more playoff series. The Predators won their first round playoff but ultimately lost their second round series, to the
Vancouver Canucks, meaning the Senators received a third-round pick. According to Fisher, although there were many trade deals for him, Ottawa GM
Bryan Murray and Ottawa owner
Eugene Melnyk had chosen to accept Nashville's offer so that Fisher could be closer to his wife, country singer
Carrie Underwood. Fisher played his first game with the Predators on February 12, 2011, and registered an assist in a 5–3 win over the
Colorado Avalanche. He scored his first goal as a Predator five days later, on February 17, against the Canucks. Fisher was the winner of the 2012
NHL Foundation Player Award, awarded to the NHL player who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork – to enrich the lives of people in his community. On July 7, 2014, the Predators announced that Fisher had been injured during a training session and ruptured his
Achilles tendon. This caused him to be out four-to-six months rehabbing the injury and missing the beginning of the season. Fisher finished the
2014–15 season with 19 goals and 39 points in 59 games. On June 26, 2015, just prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Fisher signed a two-year, $8.8 million contract extension with the Predators, paying $4.8 million in
2015–16 and $4 million in 2016–17. On December 1, 2015, Fisher suffered a lower-body injury in a game against the Arizona Coyotes. He was placed on injured reserve and only began skating again on December 19. On March 2, 2016, Fisher played in his 1,000th game. On May 5, 2016, he scored with 8:48 left in triple overtime in game four of the Western Conference Semi-finals to beat the
San Jose Sharks 4–3, tying the series at two games apiece and ending the longest game in Nashville franchise history. On September 7, 2016, Fisher was named the sixth captain of the Predators after previous captain
Shea Weber was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens for defenseman
P. K. Subban. He led the Predators to the
2017 Stanley Cup Finals eventually losing to the
Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. On August 3, 2017, Fisher announced his retirement from the NHL via a letter addressed to Predators fans in that day's edition of
The Tennessean, becoming the first Predators captain to retire with the team. On January 31, 2018, Fisher announced that he intended to end his retirement to help the Predators make another Stanley Cup run. Fisher said that he would practice with the Predators and eventually sign a contract before the trade deadline of February 26, 2018. On February 26, 2018, Fisher signed a one-year contract with the Predators. In his final season, Fisher registered two goals and four points in 16 games with the Predators and only one goal in 12 playoff games. Fisher retired for a second time on May 12, 2018, a few days after the Predators were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the
Winnipeg Jets. ==Personal life==