Game On!

Stan Fischler

Stan Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," serves as the resident hockey expert for MSG and MSG Plus. He can be seen offering NHL analysis on MSG's nightly sports and entertainment show "MSG, NY" providing pre- and post-game features and reports for the Rangers, Islanders and Devils on "MSG Hockey Night Live," and offering his unique insight on MSG's sports blog "Game On!" Fischler's first job out of Brooklyn College was as a publicist for the NY Rangers for the 1954-55 season. Since then he has covered hockey either in print or in broadcast for over 50 years. The Maven began his broadcasting career in Boston as an analyst for the New England Whalers of the WHA on WKBG-TV in 1973-74. In March of 1975, he joined SportsChannel New York, now MSG Plus, and has been covering the metropolitan area NHL teams ever since. In 1988 and 1999, Fischler won New York Emmy award's for his work as an NHL analyst. Fischler began his writing career in the mid-1950s, writing first for the Brooklyn Eagle and then for the New York Journal-American from 1955 through 1966. While at the Journal-American, he won many awards for his creativity in the area of headline writing. In 1966, he took over as New York Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star, a post he held for the next 11 years. Over the last four decades, Fischler has written for many publications, including The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Sport Magazine, Newsweek, and Hockey Digest. In 1962, Fischler's article on Eddie Shore, which originally ran in Sports Illustrated, appeared in two compilation books of exceptional writing ("The Realm of Sport" by Herbert Warren Wind and "Press Box: Red Smith's Favorite Sports Stories"). Currently Fischler's prose can also be found in The Hockey News, where he serves as a guest columnist, and in The Weekly Fischler Report, which is the only 52-weeks-a-year hockey business newsletter. His writings have also been selected for inclusion in the book "Best American Sports Writing of the Century," published in 1999. With the help of his wife Shirley, Fischler has authored or co-authored more than 90 books on the game, including "The Hockey Encyclopedia," "Everybody's Hockey Book," "The New NHL Encyclopedia" and most recently "MetroIce: A Century of Hockey in Greater New York," focusing on the Rangers, Islanders and Devils franchises. Fischler's other passion is the New York City subway system and its history. He often writes about transportation and recently authored "The Subway ??? A Trip Through Time on New York's Rapid Transit." Fischler, a Manhattan resident, holds a master's degree in education from Long Island University and has taught news and feature writing at Queens College, Columbia University and Fordham University. In January 1999, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani designated Fischler a Centennial Historian of the City of New York. When away from work, he enjoys bicycling, speed walking, hiking, reading, and listening to Bob Crosby's Bobcats.