By Paul M. Banks
The Buffalo Sabres’ Ryan Miller got off to a blistering start this NHL season, his numbers so dominant during the first month of play that it sent a message to Team USA hockey about who their starting goalie should be.
But Team USA also has the Boston Bruins’ Tim Thomas, last year’s Vezina trophy winner. “I’m just going to play with him, he’s a great goaltender and a fine Michigan boy, the fact that we have two goaltenders from Michigan is a good thing. He’s a great guy and we have some rapport. We {USA} have some great goalies coming through the ranks, maybe more depth than we used to,” Miller said during my recent conversation with him.
Thomas is from Flint, MI, just up the road from East Lansing- Miller’s hometown. It’s also the home of Michigan State University, where Miller was a collegiate star. Miller believes his Great Lakes State roots are a crucial component to his success.
The Team USA roster is filled with Big Ten alums, and an overwhelming majority of players from three states (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). “We’re aware of where come from. There are small rivalries with that, but for the most part you hang up your school colors when you come to the USA locker room. Of course, no one says you can’t have any fun with it, poking and prodding with each other’s alma maters,” he said.
Ten members of Miller’s family, including his grandfather, father, uncle, and five cousins played college hockey for the Spartans. His cousin Kip Miller even won the Hobey Baker award in 1990. At Michigan State, Miller won the Hobey Baker himself in 2001, when he led the country in wins, winning percentage, save percentage (an NCAA record .950 mark), goals-against average and shutouts (an NCAA record 10). Miller, nicknamed “Unscoreonable” by an MSU teammate, became only the second goaltender in history to win hockey’s Heisman, and was also the CCHA’s MVP twice.
Miller also played outdoors in the historic Cold War- a game between Michigan and Michigan State held at Spartan Stadium in 2001. I asked him how the atmosphere of that game might prepare him for the Olympics. “I’m expecting it to be a really exciting environment with Canadian fans, and the access that U.S. fans will have with it being so close to the American border. It will probably be a premier game in the Olympics and a good chance for the NHL and our players to grow the game,” he responded.
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Of course, the stakes are high for every American NHL goalie, because this could be their last chance to wear the red, white and blue. As Miller put it:
“Who knows if this will be the last year the NHL participates, it used to be a business decision between two sides, and you never know what’s gonna happen, so this will definitely be amplified.”
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Also, be sure to check out Teamusa.org. Anyone who registers on Teamusa.org will have access to the latest info and will receive exclusive updates throughout the games.