Report: Ottawa Senator Mike Fisher Dating Carrie Underwood

Seems like NHL athletes are doing pretty well off the ice, too. Sometimes, it can be the source of controversy, but normally, it's just happy news.

This would qualify as "happy". In the midst of a terrible season on the ice, at least one Ottawa Senator has something to celebrate.

Forward Mike Fisher, according to the gossip types, is dating country singer Carrie Underwood.

The couple reportedly met when Mike checked out one of Carrie's concerts in March 2008, but things appeared to heat up over the holidays when fans caught a glimpse of the 25-year-old Grammy winner on the Jumbotron "Hug Cam" at the Air Canada Centre. She was reportedly in a private VIP box, which also included the handsome hockey player's parents and his brother, Bud.

Carrie also reportedly spent New Year's Eve with Mike's sister, getting pedicures and being pampered at swanky spa and hair salon, Rinaldo.

"She was here with Mike Fisher's sister and the staff took good care of them," Pat Rinaldo told the paper. "She was very quiet, very sweet and pleasant. She wasn't demanding at all, everyone loved her and a lot of people recognized her."

This may not be some stereotypical celebrity fling. Fisher is a devout Christian who has run hockey camps through an organization called Hockey Ministries International.

"When I was 19, I had to learn a lot. I searched God out and realized the kind of way I wanted to live. By 22 I had decided." In the meantime, he partied and drank, still grappling with how to handle the success.

Fisher credits his cousin for guiding him back to the narrow path. "He's my spiritual mentor, and has been a big influence in my life. I still have ups and downs, but I know God has a plan and a purpose for me. I have a lot of people who've helped me; I learned from the pressures."

Happiness, he's realized, cannot be bought. "When you have money, it doesn't really mean anything. It's a daily relationship with Christ and through that comes a lot of peace and experiencing God. I hadn't really done that (before). When you get a taste of it, there's nothing like it."

Fisher has 12 points in 34 games for the Senators, who are in last place in the Northeast Division.

Underwood had a high-profile relationship with an athlete before. She once dated Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.