Buffalo Sabres: Is Ryan Miller the greatest American goaltender?

Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller is the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history. Is he the best to come out of the States? 

Ryan Miller did everything except win the elusive Stanley Cup, whether he was playing for the Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim, Vancouver, or St. Louis. To his defense, Miller was part of the 2005-06 Sabres team that wasn’t expected to dwell anywhere except the NHL’s basement. Except he and a young core of Sabres led that team to the 2006 Eastern Conference Final.

Miller’s 391 wins sit two above Dominik Hasek, arguably the greatest European-born goaltender in NHL history, and 14th in league history. As mentioned earlier, no American-born goaltender won as many games, with John Vanbiesbrouck sitting behind him among all Americans at 374 wins.

Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller enjoyed an accomplished career as arguably the best American-born goaltender in NHL history.

While Miller never won a Cup, he does have a Silver Medal to his name. Having represented the United States twice in Olympic action, Miller and the Americans won the Silver in 2010. He also won MVP honors, posting a 5-1 record, a 0.946 save percentage, and an outstanding 1.35 GAA.

Also in 2010, Miller won the Vezina Trophy and was named a First Team NHL All-Star. And while he never won the award, Miller placed fourth for the Hart Trophy that season. Had he snagged it, Miller would have become the second Sabres goaltender to win the coveted award, joining none other than Hasek.

Given all of Miller’s accomplishments, which also included the Hobey Baker Award in 2001, he definitely ranks among the top American-born goaltenders in NHL history. But does he rank #1?

Per Quant Hockey, Miller’s 2.64 GAA and 0.914 save percentage ranks third and first among American-born goaltenders who played in at least 500 games. Miller is also second in games played, at 796, trailing only John Vanbiesbrouck, who played in 882.

If you count the number of Cup wins as part of your criteria, then you probably wouldn’t rank Miller at #1. Instead, someone like Jonathan Quick, Tom Barrasso, or Tim Thomas may get the honor.

But at worst, Miller ranks in the Top Five. His longevity alone deserves recognition, whereas someone like Thomas didn’t hit NHL ice regularly until age 31. Miller was also more consistent than Quick, who hit a career wall between 2018 and 2021.

Barrasso may have Miller beaten, given his two Cup wins, a Calder, plus a Vezina and a Jennings, the latter of which he won with Bob Sauve. So where would you rank Miller among American goaltenders? Is his career save percentage, GAA, and longevity enough? Or should he have won more awards during his career? Let me know in the comments.

Article Source: Miller elected to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame by Jourdon LaBarber

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference, Elite Prospects, and Quant Hockey)