Hockey star Mike Fisher's fondness for one book -- the Bible -- has inspired him to collaborate on another.

The devout Christian and husband of singer Carrie Underwood is the subject of a new book titled 'Defender of Faith.' Written by Kim Washburn, it's the motivational, true story of how Fisher's strong faith helped him overcome obstacles and rise to hockey greatness. The book is aimed for young people, around ages 9 to 12.

"Having a relationship with Jesus and making him the center of everything I do is the most important thing to me in hockey and whatever I am doing," the Nashville Predators center said in an interview with Beliefnet.com.

"I've always enjoyed working with kids whether it be hockey school, things like that, and I just thought it would kind of be neat to start there with a book for kids," he added. "Kids need role models. I needed role models when I was growing up, and that's what helped me."

A native Canadian, Mike met Carrie in 2008, when he was still a member of the Ottawa Senators. The couple married two years later in Greensboro, Ga., seven months before he was traded to Nashville.

Although few NHL stars have been vocal about their faith, Mike says he's not shy about discussing his beliefs.

"You don't hide the things that you love and who you are," he said. "You should be proud of those things and that's why I've kind of always been a little bit more outspoken and I don't believe it's something odd at all because I know that it can help people. And having a faith is the answer and you want to share that."



if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_616511855001','codever':0.1,'autoload':false,'autoplay':false,'displaymnads':true,'playerid':'89761511001','videoid':'616511855001','width':476,'height':357,'playertype':'inline','stillurl':'dynamic','videolink':'#','videotitle':'dynamic','videodesc':''});

More From TheBoot