Professional Hockey And The Bibleনমুনা

“Mike Fisher Leans on New Testament Letter in Wake of Season-Ending Knee Injury”

Ottawa Senators 4, New York Islanders 2 (December 27, 2006)

In late December during the 2006-07 season, center Mike Fisher was enjoying one of his best years yet as a member of the Ottawa Senators. But then, in a game against the New York Islanders, Fisher collided with an opposing player at mid-ice and immediately clutched his knee, which had been violently twisted.

Concerned about his status for the remainder of the season, Fisher looked up at the locker room clock as he walked in with assistance from the team trainers. The clock was stopped at 12:12. Fisher was immediately reminded of a verse he had committed to memory after reading it in a Bible study group several years earlier.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

“This is a simple scripture, but a good reminder to me, and one I put on my sticks,” Fisher conveyed in an article for Hockey Ministries International. “I remember I was just struck by that reminder that God is in control, and it really helped me to relax and to trust him.”

Fisher was able to fight through the pain and help the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals, but it wasn’t the last time Fisher would have to deal with a difficult setback. He suffered another knee injury late in the 2007-08 season that took him out of the playoffs. Fisher has also been through a variety of physical challenges along the way including his most recent time with the Nashville Predators.

“I’ve had a shoulder problem for the last few years,” Fisher told Christian Sports Journal. “It’s been tough…Sometimes I think about some of my fears and I always think about the scripture ‘If God is for (us), who can be against (us)?’” (Romans 8:31)