Jiri Fischer
Encyclopedia
Jiří Fischer is a former professional ice hockey
defenceman
in the National Hockey League
(NHL). Fischer went into cardiac arrest
in a November 2005 game, and subsequently retired due to his heart problems. Fischer is currently director of player development for the Detroit Red Wings
, the team for whom he played.
Fischer was selected in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft
in the first round, 25th overall, by the Red Wings, and was a part of the team that won the 2002 Stanley Cup
.
in a television commercial for Dodge Ram
trucks. The commercial featured a black Ram truck running along a track, which then smashes into a wall. Fischer and Pronger, along with two other unnamed players, exit the truck in full hockey gear. Pronger then intones "I've been hit harder," and Fischer answers "Me too." The commercial was played during the 2003 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Neither defenseman were playing at the time as both were recovering from torn anterior cruciate ligament
injuries when the commercial was filmed.
, Fischer collapsed on the bench after going into cardiac arrest
. After being unconscious for six minutes, Fischer was resuscitated by CPR and by an automated external defibrillator
, and was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital. The hockey game was postponed due to Fischer's injury, and was made up on January 23, 2006. This marked the first time in NHL history a game had been postponed due to injury. The makeup game was played for the full 60 minutes, though the Predators were allowed to maintain their 1-0 lead from the original game. Nashville ultimately won by a score of 3-2.
Fischer was released from the hospital on November 23, 2005. Although the exact cause of Fischer's collapse remained unknown, team physician Tony Colucci indicated that Fischer's heart may have experienced either ventricular tachycardia
, a type of racing heartbeat, or ventricular fibrillation
, a heart fluttering. Doctors ordered Fischer to avoid all physical activity for four to six weeks, and no prognosis was made on whether he would be able to continue his hockey career. Fischer continued to suffer heart trouble after the in-game incident. On November 28, Fischer suffered a "brief, abnormal cardiac rhythm", while at his home in Detroit. He was released from the hospital two days later.
Fischer's future as a hockey player remained in question over a year after his collapse before he ultimately retired as a player and became the Red Wings' director of player development.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). Fischer went into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
in a November 2005 game, and subsequently retired due to his heart problems. Fischer is currently director of player development for the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, the team for whom he played.
Fischer was selected in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft
1998 NHL Entry Draft
The 1998 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 27 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. A total of 258 players were drafted.- Selections by round :Club teams are located in North America unless otherwise noted.- Round one :- Round two :...
in the first round, 25th overall, by the Red Wings, and was a part of the team that won the 2002 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
.
Endorsement work
In 2003, Fischer appeared with fellow NHL defenseman Chris ProngerChris Pronger
Christopher Robert Pronger is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and captain for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Originally selected 2nd overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Pronger has played for Hartford, the St...
in a television commercial for Dodge Ram
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
trucks. The commercial featured a black Ram truck running along a track, which then smashes into a wall. Fischer and Pronger, along with two other unnamed players, exit the truck in full hockey gear. Pronger then intones "I've been hit harder," and Fischer answers "Me too." The commercial was played during the 2003 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Neither defenseman were playing at the time as both were recovering from torn anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
injuries when the commercial was filmed.
Heart trouble
During a game on November 21, 2005, against the Nashville PredatorsNashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Fischer collapsed on the bench after going into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
. After being unconscious for six minutes, Fischer was resuscitated by CPR and by an automated external defibrillator
Automated external defibrillator
An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of...
, and was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital. The hockey game was postponed due to Fischer's injury, and was made up on January 23, 2006. This marked the first time in NHL history a game had been postponed due to injury. The makeup game was played for the full 60 minutes, though the Predators were allowed to maintain their 1-0 lead from the original game. Nashville ultimately won by a score of 3-2.
Fischer was released from the hospital on November 23, 2005. Although the exact cause of Fischer's collapse remained unknown, team physician Tony Colucci indicated that Fischer's heart may have experienced either ventricular tachycardia
Ventricular tachycardia
Ventricular tachycardia is a tachycardia, or fast heart rhythm, that originates in one of the ventricles of the heart...
, a type of racing heartbeat, or ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which there is uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in the heart, making them quiver rather than contract properly. Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency and most commonly identified arrythmia in cardiac arrest...
, a heart fluttering. Doctors ordered Fischer to avoid all physical activity for four to six weeks, and no prognosis was made on whether he would be able to continue his hockey career. Fischer continued to suffer heart trouble after the in-game incident. On November 28, Fischer suffered a "brief, abnormal cardiac rhythm", while at his home in Detroit. He was released from the hospital two days later.
Fischer's future as a hockey player remained in question over a year after his collapse before he ultimately retired as a player and became the Red Wings' director of player development.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1997–98 1997–98 QMJHL season The 1997–98 QMJHL season was the 29th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The Quebec Remparts name is revived after twelve years when the Beauport Harfangs change identities... |
Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 70 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 112 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 1998–99 1998–99 QMJHL season The 1998–99 QMJHL season was the 30th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league continued its trend of teams relocating into the Atlantic Canada market, when Laval moved to Bathurst, New Brunswick. Fifteen teams played 70 games each in the schedule... |
Hull Olympiques | QMJHL | 65 | 22 | 56 | 78 | 141 | 23 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 44 | ||
| 1999–00 | Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
NHL | 52 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 1999–2000 AHL season The 1999–2000 AHL season was the 64th season of the American Hockey League. Nineteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hartford Wolf Pack finished first overall in the regular season, and won their first Calder Cup championship.-Team changes:... |
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Cincinnati Mighty Ducks The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, at the Cincinnati Gardens.-History:... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 55 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 59 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 2000–01 2000–01 AHL season The 2000–01 AHL season was the 65th season of the American Hockey League. The league realigns its divisions again. The Atlantic division is renamed the Canadian division. The Empire State division is replaced by the South division, with many teams shifting from the Mid-Atlantic division.Twenty... |
Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 67 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 30 | ||
| 2002–03 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 75 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 2004–05 | HC Bílí Tygři Liberec HC Bílí Tygri Liberec HC Bílí Tygři Liberec , sometimes called the "Tigers", is an ice hockey team in the Czech Extraliga. Their home arena is Tipsport Arena in Liberec... |
Czech Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe.... |
27 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 52 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 2005–06 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 22 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 305 | 11 | 49 | 60 | 295 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 55 | ||||