Center Mike Fisher took the first step to returning as an active NHL player on Wednesday when he took the ice at Bridgestone Arena, with the goal of signing a contract and returning to the Nashville Predators before the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26.
Fisher, 37, played the past seven seasons with the Predators and was Nashville's captain last season, when the Predators made their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
He has 585 points (276 goals, 309 assists) in 1,088 games through 17 seasons with the Ottawa Senators, who selected him in the second round (No. 44) of the 1998 NHL Draft, and the Predators.
"I never thought this was possible," Fisher said Wednesday. "After I retired, I thought I was done, I thought it was the right decision. But I had some conversations along the way, and the more I thought about it, I thought about the run we made last year, how good this team is and how good it can be, and the more I thought how much fun it could be, and I'm ready for this.
"There's no real timetable for this. I'm going to see how I feel and keep skating on my own. I know it's going to take some time to get back into game shape, and we'll see how it goes."
Even after Fisher initially decided to retire, the Predators held out a bit of hope he would reconsider, general manager David Poile said.
"We accepted his decision," Poile said, "but in our gut, we thought maybe there would be a chance he could change his mind at some point. And even though we saw he was happy, spending time with his family, hunting, we reached out and had some conversations.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette said there was never any pressure put on Fisher to come back.
"When it was put on the table by us, we didn't seek a yes or no, it was just always a welcoming thing," Laviolette said, "that if he ever had the desire to come back and play, the window was 100 percent open with me and with David."
Poile said the Predators players are "over the top" about Fisher's return, and Laviolette confirmed that as well.
"There's not a guy on the team that doesn't have a smile ear-to-ear about this," Laviolette said. "Everyone realizes what Mike brings and what we have in the room."
The Predators, 29-12-7, trail the Winnipeg Jets by three points for first place in the Central Division. Their next game is against the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV).
Fisher said he had plenty of discussions with friends and family, including his wife, country music singer Carrie Underwood.
"Carrie kept asking me almost every day if I was going to do it," he said. "She wanted me to do it, and she's always right, so I definitely had the blessing of the family."
Fisher had announced his retirement on Aug. 3 in a letter published by The Tennessean, after he had been debating whether to continue playing after his contract expired.
"This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but I know I've made the right one," Fisher wrote. "This job I've been able to have for a majority of my life is so much fun. To help create that entertainment and to see the joy we can bring to people is such a unique and exciting opportunity. I'll miss my teammates, my coaches and the game itself.
"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."
Fisher has scored 20 goals or more six times; his NHL high is 25, with the Senators in 2009-10, when he had 53 points, his best offensive season in the League.
He was traded to the Predators for Nashville's first-round pick in the 2011 draft and its third-round pick in 2012.
