Buffalo Sabres: 3 most memorable moments of Ryan Miller’s career
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.
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.
The last great playoff moments before the drought – 2011
As you know, the Buffalo Sabres embarked on the longest playoff drought in NHL history. But before that drought, Ryan Miller put on a show during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The performance occurred on April 14th, 2011 with the Sabres skating into Philadelphia as the (not-so heavy) underdog against the mighty Flyers. But Miller made sure the Sabres started things off with a bang in what became a shutout win for Buffalo.
And he was beyond hot, recording 35 saves while Patrick Kaleta snuck one in to put and keep the Sabres on top, 1-0. And if that wasn’t enough, Miller once again kept the Flyers from finding twine in Game 4, which allowed the Sabres to tie the series at 2-2. In that game, he tallied 32 saves en route to yet another 1-0 win.
The Sabres unfortunately lost that series four games to three. But Miller’s multiple shutouts in multiple goaltender duels made this playoff series one for the ages.
The stick save – 2007
Not only was the stick save one of the best, if not the best, of Ryan Miller’s career. It may just be the most epic save in Buffalo Sabres history. Of course, the Sabres were the team to beat that year as they were on their way to win the Presidents’ Trophy, and Miller’s stick save left no doubt in anyone’s mind who the best team was in the regular season that year.
What was more amazing about this save during a nail-biter against the Boston Bruins is that Miller made the play facing a two-on-one – and some even say it was a three-on-one attack. After a cross-ice pass from Marc Savard to Glen Murray, Miller found himself on the right-hand side of the net before he veered back to the left as Murray passed back to Savard, who found Paul Mara wide open as he bolted down the middle of the ice.
The pass happened so fast that Miller found himself out of position with Mara facing an open net. Naturally, the defenseman took the shot, only for Miller to veer to the right just far enough to get his stick in the air, knock down the shot, and deny Mara.
What made this one even more satisfying is, if you look at Murray, he clearly thinks Mara scored to the point he lifted his stick in the air. But the premature celebration ended when he realized the puck was not in the back of the net, but under Miller, who froze it.
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Overall, Ryan Miller will go down as the second-best goaltender in Buffalo Sabres history, next to the untouchable Dominik Hasek. But even during Miller’s day, he was no supporting or role player. Miller was the franchise player of his era, and he played a huge role in the Sabres deep playoff runs in 2006 and 2007.
Article Source: Ryan Miller Night set for January 19, 2023 by Chris Ryndak
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)