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Will the Buffalo Sabres retire Ryan Miller’s number?

By Sion Fawkes

BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 05: Ryan Miler #30 of the Buffalo Sabres defends the net against the Pittsburgh Penguins at First Niagara Center on February 5, 2014 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Sean Rudyk/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 05: Ryan Miler #30 of the Buffalo Sabres defends the net against the Pittsburgh Penguins at First Niagara Center on February 5, 2014 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Sean Rudyk/Getty Images) /
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Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller received a new accolade for his career as a 2022 inductee into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. 

Now that Ryan Miller is set to become part of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, fans will be asking the burning question: When will the Buffalo Sabres hang his jersey from the rafters at the KeyBank Center?

This past season, the Sabres raised the RJ banner for longtime radio announcer Rick Jeanneret, who retired after spending 51 years providing play-by-play. On January 13th, 2015, they retired Dominik Hasek‘s #39 jersey.

Hasek was one of the best goaltenders in NHL history, and arguably the best in Buffalo Sabres history, having allowed an astounding 2.22 goals per game during his time in Buffalo and posting a record of 234-170-70.

Will the Buffalo Sabres retire Ryan Miller’s number anytime soon?

Miller posted 403 starts and played in 540 games during his Buffalo Sabres career, finishing with a record of 284-186-57. His career save percentage in Buffalo sat at 0.916, a shade below Hasek’s 0.926. He also allowed 2.60 goals per game, 0.38 higher than Hasek.

However, Miller has an edge in win percentage, having won 0.538 percent of his contests, compared to Hasek’s 0.493. Hasek holds the advantage of having played in the Stanley Cup Final, something Miller never reached.

Nonetheless, the duo posted stellar numbers throughout their Buffalo Sabres careers. And with Hasek’s number now hanging from the rafters, you can easily argue that Miller’s should be up there too. Regardless of who you believe was the better goaltender.

Overall, it is hard to say if the Sabres will retire Miller’s number any time soon. But you can argue that they should at least be considering it. No, he’s not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, as Hasek is. But does that really need to be a prerequisite?

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Miller had an unforgettable career with the Sabres and now he will at least find himself in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Maybe he’s not a Pro Hockey Hall of Famer. But that shouldn’t stop the Sabres from retiring his number.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)

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