Christian Fischer blazed the path that future Arizona Coyotes regulars like Conor Garland and Lawson Crouse would follow to their NHL dreams. While he was not the first call-up from Tucson for the Coyotes, he was the first graduate from the organization’s new development structure.
Fischer spent most of the 2016-2017 season in Tucson with the Roadrunners, and he made the most of his time. The budding forward skated in 57 games, scoring 20 goals and adding 27 assists. Not bad for your first season of professional hockey.
Fischer also skated in 7 games total after receiving two separate call-ups to the Coyotes, scoring 3 goals in that time. He even scored in his debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning with his parents and family in the house.
Fischer celebrates with teammates after scoring on November 27th, 2016 against the Stockton Heat. (photo credit: Tucson Roadrunners)
Fischer’s jersey is an interesting one.
Through my research, I have verified with the team that the Roadrunners used just one white and one red jersey each season. However, there is definitely another 2016-2017 White Set jersey from Christian Fischer out there. It was sold by Detroit Hockey Company in their very first set of Roadrunners jerseys.
There is also at least one more Fischer white set out there because it was sold to me by the Roadrunners themselves.
This means this sweater is the third one to emerge which is the most I’ve seen for any Meeps player in one season.
This Fischer gamer has moderate wear and appears to have been worn in the first half of the AHL season.
The right sleeve has a decent sized hole that is unrepaired, and the left has an actual repair that is about an inch or so long. The repair appears to line up with photos from December 21st, 2016 where Fischer has a hole in his left sleeve that must have happened in that game.
There are stick marks on the front around the crest, but none of those led to a photomatch.
The back has a few tiny stick/puck marks, including a mark above the “F” in the nameplate that is matched to several photos. There is also an interesting loose thread/thread loop in the photomatches of the top left corner of the nameplate that appears to have been trimmed off by the team at some point. It is even visible in the inaugural game at Tucson Convention Center.
Christian Fischer forechecks against the Bakersfield Condors on December 21st, 2016. (photo credit: Tucson Roadrunners)
Fischer has been in and out of the doghouse in Arizona since leaving the Roadrunners.
His first full season in the NHL saw him score 15 goals under Dave Tippett. He scored 11 under Rick Tocchet the next season before falling into the doghouse with Tocchet and seeing his playing time cut. His production has fallen along with it.
Despite all of that, Fisch remains one of the best guys in the locker room on the team. It would be great to see him break out again under André Tourigny.