Stan Fischler Belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

I want to preface this by saying that the man known as “The Maven”, Stan Fischler, has been a good friend of mine for over 20 years.

Not only is he a friend, he is a wonderful mentor to not only me but many others in the hockey industry. I actually interned for Stan in the summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003, one of my life’s greatest experiences.

If you are reading this and do not know who Stan Fischler is, let me tell you that he personifies hockey. He has written more than 90 books on our favorite sport, has covered the game for multiple outlets both as a writer and as a broadcaster, had his own newsletter, and despite being 90 years old, he is still going strong covering the game for the “Bible of Hockey”, The Hockey News.

Stan has also won several awards for his outstanding coverage of the sport. He has won the Lester Patrick Award, and he was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame two years ago, in addition to winning eight New York Emmy awards.

The Maven was also honored by the New York Islanders earlier this season when they named their press level after him. Stan explained to the Islanders’ website writer, Cory Wright, that he was absolutely ecstatic about the honor.

“To have my name on the press box is roughly equivalent to something like having a little banner for me,” Fischler said. “In my personal journalistic life, this is the crown jewel.”

Even with all of his numerous accomplishments and dedication to the sport, he has yet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The fact that this has yet to happen is astonishing.

Every year, the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association gives out the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, which is “an accolade presented to a print newspaper columnist or reporter in recognition of their achievements covering the game of ice hockey”. It is remarkable that Fischler has yet to win this award, considering that he has been writing about the game for 69 years. Yes, you read that number right.

For whatever reason, the fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame does not seem to bother Stan. He said as much to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski a few years ago.

“The Toronto thing is a very simple one for me. It’s the punchline for a good joke. This has been going on for at least 30 years — various attempts to nominate me, and it hasn’t happened.

“So if they don’t think I belong … if I want to get onto the subway at Times Square, my MetroCard works whether I’m in that Hall of Fame or not. I don’t have to be in the Hall of Fame if I want to play paddleball in Riverside Park. It doesn’t stop me from breathing. They have a right to nominate who they want. But if they don’t want me, then they don’t want me. It’s the last thing on my mind to sulk about”.

While Stan may not mind that he is not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, I certainly mind and care deeply about this. He deserves to be in, and it would be nice to see the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association step up and do the right thing.

There is no time like the present.

In this episode Dr. Josh Khalfin comes on to chat about Jones, Rempe, comparing NYR’s play pre & post TDL, defense & having kept their 1st Rnd pick how deep is the draft.For more from us, visit Inside The RinkHow to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITRThanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Guest Josh Khalfin
  2. The Encouraging but Injury Concerning Backend
  3. Guest Tyler McGillick
  4. 2024 TDL Recap : We're not "Dead"Line
  5. Guest Rick Carpiniello

Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Predators Are Making History on Their Way to the Postseason

As the 2023-24 NHL regular season winds down, what a difference a month makes in the future of the Nashville Predators. Pundits and fans alike had essentially given up on Nashville before the All-Star break in early February as the Predators looked to be on the verge of extinction like the saber-toothed tiger in the […]

Read More

Flyers Miss Out on Two Points Against Canadiens; Lose 4-1 | 3/28/2024

The Flyers needed to come into this game hungry for two points. Not counting this game against Montréal, there are only eight games left in the season. Every point counts. What’s at Stake The Flyers have had a tough schedule the last couple of weeks. Since March 14, they have played teams that are top […]

Read More

Jason Zucker’s Return Highlights Predators at Coyotes on Thursday Night

Nashville locked down their 18th consecutive point recorded with a win in comeback fashion on Tuesday, as the Predators mounted the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime. The Arizona Coyotes were mathematically eliminated from NHL Playoff contention after Nashville’s win but still have the ability to affect the run of other teams by handing them […]

Read More