The Time Is Now: Select Stan Fischler Into Hockey Hall Of Fame

At the age of 89, Stan “The Maven” Fischler was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday. Fischler told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin, “I have gotten to be 89 years old thanks to hockey,” Fischler said. “Hockey has kept me going.”

And Fischler has continued his journey after announcing he would be writing for The Hockey News and does not appear to be slowing down one bit. We noticed that when we invited him on our State of the Fan Address and Let’s Go Devils Podcast in the past year. While still witty and full of energy with great humor, he reminded us why he is so revered by his colleagues and former interns that he graciously mentored over the years. Fischler has done more for the sport of hockey by narrating it’s ongoing story to millions of fans. Moreover, he set the gold standard for hockey journalism and for those that had been inspired by his childhood love of the hockey, which started at age 7 at the old Madison Square Garden.

That is why we are surprised that Stan Fischler has not been enshrined into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in Toronto.

He has written over hundreds of books, thousands of articles, hockey encyclopedias, broadcasted numerous live games, and continues to be a trailblazer for inspiring journalists. Even his late wife, Shirley Fischler, was in that same pedigree and broke barriers as one of the first female hockey journalists over five decades ago. They were ahead of their time back then and took risks together even if it might have been frowned upon or jeopardize their careers. However, their deep love and passion for hockey gave them the courage to keep opening doors for countless media members and created a path for everyone who shared that same conviction and love for our sport.

For these reasons, Stan Fischler should be selected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builder category after covering the sport for over eight decades. Most of us grew up reading, listening, and watching Fischler’s stories which transformed us into well informed hockey fans. His extensive knowledge is a treasure to all hockey fans and always reminds us how far our game has come.

Now is the time and let’s move forward to help enshrine Stan Fischler in the Hockey Hall Of Fame!