By Michael Caples –
EAST LANSING – Ryan Miller and his wife, actress Noureen DeWulf, got a dog this summer – a French Bulldog named Puck.
Yet the dog wasn’t enough entertainment for the East Lansing native and Buffalo Sabres goaltender, who said that he started skating earlier than usual just for something to do.
“She was busy so I was just training a lot,” Miller said of his ‘low-key’ summer in California. “I started skating a little bit earlier just so I could have something to do but prepare for the increased schedule, try to get a rhythm so I wouldn’t have to practice a lot early in the season. I just wanted to feel good, so that left me a lot of time to hang out.”
Make no mistake, however – Miller is all business as usual. The starting goaltender for Team USA at the Vancouver Olympic games said he’s already mentally preparing for another chance at gold, in the hopes he can once again represent his country.
“It’s kind of the same preparation for me; the only thing that changes is my training schedule,” the former Michigan State goaltender said. “You factor in that we have a condensed schedule, you factor in that we’re going to have travel and a time change, so you just kind of plan ahead mentally, you put yourself in a place where you expect it to happen, you train and work for that, and it just becomes a plan that you have to execute.
“My job right now is to be the best I can be with the Sabres, and that will hopefully earn me the opportunity to be on that team, because I would like nothing more than to represent the country again. It was a huge honor last time, but we did leave there with a sense that we left something on the table, obviously, so it would be nice to get back and earn an opportunity to go for it again.”
Miller was one of six goaltenders invited to Team USA’s Olympic camp in late August. Craig Anderson, John Gibson, Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Quick and Cory Schneider joined Miller as the netminders present at the camp, and the netminders who will compete for the three spots on the plane to Sochi, Russia. It is expected that Miller, Howard, Quick and Schneider will be the four goaltenders competing for the three spots during the first half of the NHL season.
In Vancouver, Miller was named Most Valuable Player of the Olympic hockey tournament, after recording five wins and a 1.35 goals-against average in six games played.
More time at home, more time with Drew
Miller, who was allowed to sneak out of Buffalo’s training camp to attend his induction ceremony into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, said he’s excited to have an excuse to come home more often, thanks to the NHL realignment. The Sabres are now in the same division as his hometown Red Wings, which also means more games against his younger brother, Detroit forward Drew Miller.
“Yeah, that’s going to be a lot of fun, we open against them on Oct. 2,” Miller said. “I think it’s just good for him, he actually gets to have some rest every once in a while. Their schedule, playing in the Western Conference, was a little bit ridiculous, but it’s nice to see they’re paying attention to those kinds of things now, and they’re trying to make things make a little more sense. I think it’s going to be fun for me to be home a little bit more. It was fun to come home at any time and play a game, but to have two to three opportunities a year, it’s going to be great.”
Miller pointed out that the last time he played against Drew, little brother got the last laugh, as the Wings chased the Sabres’ goaltender in a 5-0 rout.
“Oh yeah, he runs his mouth,” Miller said about Drew. “He’s got a couple points last time we played him, I got yanked out of that game, that wasn’t a good one.
“Not yet, I’ve gotta keep watching him though, he’s turning into a heck of a player, and he’s got the ability to score, so I’m not going to take him lightly, that’s for sure. But it’s the same for him, runs his mouth the whole time, comes in and tries to knock me around a little bit. It’s a unique experience, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Miller said he doesn’t bother to chirp back, either.
“I’m the older brother, I’m always quiet. The older brother doesn’t chirp, you just sit there and roll your eyes.”