NHL's Mike Fisher Embraces Retirement At 37! Nashville Predators Bids Goodbye To Captain

The defending Stanley Cup finalists Nashville Predators are now in need of a new captain!

According to Tennessean, the Preds captain Mike Fisher decided to retire on Thursday afternoon and called it the hardest decision of his life.

The unexpected statement from Mike was:

"This is the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I know I’ve made the right one. I’ve decided to retire from the NHL."

That moment was the end of a career of the forward player Mike, who has 276 goals and 309 assists in 1,088 regular-season games in 17 NHL seasons. The captain has also scored 23 goals and assisted 28 goals in 134 playoff games.

In the letter to Predators fans, he wrote:

"I approached this season with the mindset that it could be my last, and now that it's past, I'm looking forward to a future that includes a lot more time with my family. Things change when you have kids and you have a family. They've supported me without question, and now it's my turn to return the favour."

The letter further read:

 "Knowing we were so close to winning it all in June only makes it more difficult to leave it behind, but I do so with hope. Endings are always tough, but I believe when something ends, there are new beginnings, new opportunities and new things to be excited for, too." 

He then ended up his letter with an optimistic note that the Predators are going to win the championship and he will remain the biggest fan of the team.

I believe that this team, that this city, is going to win a championship, and I'm going to be the biggest fan. No one will be happier than I will be to see it happen, because, these fans, they deserve it."

With Mike's decision to retire, several views arose. The forward of Las Vegas James Neal, who got acquired from Nashville in the June Expansion draft, posted on Instagram thanking him for all the skills Mike has given to the team.

"Your leadership and friendship allowed our team to bring an entire city together in our quest for the Stanley Cup... and that will always be one of the greatest memories of my life."

He further congratulated him on his successful career as:

 "Congratulations on an incredible career, but the greatest mark on your resume is the Man you are one of the best examples of hard work, integrity, humility and class. We'll all miss you!!!"

Mike's wife even took to Instagram and said that she is going to miss watching him play. She also shared her happiness by saying that she and their son Isaiah Michael Fisher love him and are excited to have him home for more time now.

The retirement came after the completion of the two-year/$8,800,000 contract with the Nashville Predators, which let him make a base salary of $4,400,000 for the season of 2016-17.

Mike began his career with the Ottawa Senators before he got traded to Nashville in 2011. The management of Nashville then chose Mike to lead the Predators as captain in September 2016.

Mike even led the team to win the first Western Conference title last season, in which duration he scored 18 goals and assisted 24.

Mike's Life Besides His Sports Career:

Mike Fisher is a husband of Carrie Underwood, who is an American country music singer. They tied their knot on July 10, 2010.

The duo shared a son after five years of their wedding, whom they named Isaiah Michael Fisher.

Mike's and his family lives in Ottawa, Canada and after his retirement, it comes across that the family is going to spend a lot of happy and joyful moments together, which they have been missing for a long time.