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Buffalo Sabres: 3 most memorable moments of Ryan Miller’s career

By Sion Fawkes

DALLAS - JANUARY 23: Eastern Conference All-Star goaltender Ryan Miller #30 of the Buffalo Sabres warms up during the 2007 NHL Skills Game at the American Airlines Center on January 23, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL)
DALLAS - JANUARY 23: Eastern Conference All-Star goaltender Ryan Miller #30 of the Buffalo Sabres warms up during the 2007 NHL Skills Game at the American Airlines Center on January 23, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images for NHL) /
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In June 2022, the Buffalo Sabres announced they would retire goaltender Ryan Miller’s number, which will become official on January 19th, 2023

Now that we know when the Buffalo Sabres will hang goaltender Ryan Miller’s number into the rafters, let’s look back on some of the most memorable moments of the longtime goaltender’s career. Miller has seen plenty of memorable moments, and a few not-so memorable moments, such as being on the receiving end of arguably the dirtiest play in NHL history, courtesy of Milan Lucic.

But we won’t go there. Instead, let’s talk about Ryan Miller’s finest moments during his tenure with the franchise. And while there are many to name, three of them jump out far more than the others. Let’s check out the three classic memories of Ryan Miller’s career with the Buffalo Sabres.

Buffalo Sabres
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 30: Ryan Miller #30 of the Buffalo Sabres defends the goal against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center on December 30, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

The three most memorable moments of former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller’s career: Moment #1 – Winning the Vezina – 2010

Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Dominik Hasek made a name for himself as the best goaltender of his era. So much, you couldn’t count on one hand of how many times he won the Vezina Trophy. Miller received the honor just once, but he channeled his inner-Dominik Hasek during that memorable 2009-10 season.

Here are his statistics: 67 games started, 41-18-8 record, 1,948 saves, 0.929 save percentage, and a 2.22 GAA. Miller also recorded five shutouts that year, and he helped the Sabres end a three-season playoff drought, something that seems like a minute issue as I write this in August 2022.

He also helped the Sabres reach the 100-point mark that season, and it is something they did not see again for over a decade. Miller easily received First Team NHL All-Star honors that season along with a fourth-place finish for the Hart Trophy. Had he won the Hart, he would have joined a rare club of goaltenders to have received such an honor.

Interestingly, he would have also been the second Buffalo Sabre after Hasek to have snagged it. But still, winning the Vezina and putting up Hasek-like numbers most definitely made him well-deserving to receive the honor as the NHL’s top goaltender that season.

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