It’s going to be a big night for the Buffalo Sabres as they celebrate the career of Ryan Miller and look to find their way back to the win column.
By the Numbers 📊
Record: 21-19-3 (45 points) | Division: 5th | League: 22nd
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 49.5% (25th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 50.1% (19th in the NHL)
Ryan Miller: A Sabres Legend
(Bill Wippert, Getty Images)
The day was June 26, 1999. The 5th round of the 1999 NHL Draft was just about to start, the Buffalo Sabres held two picks in that round. The first of those picks was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers that sent them Mike Wilson for Rhett Warrener and a pick.
With their first pick in the 5th round, the Sabres selected a lanky goaltender from the Soo Indians of the NAHL named Ryan Miller. He was the 18th-ranked North American goaltender in the 1999 NHL Draft according to the Central Scouting Bureau.
He went on to tend the net for his hometown Michigan State Spartans. He took the NCAA by storm, posting an incredible 73-19-12 record with 26 shutouts, a .941 SV%, and a 1.54 GAA. No goalie with at least 3 NCAA seasons has a better SV% and GAA, ever. Oh, he also added a Hobey Baker to his trophy case.
Miller entered the Sabres organization with high expectations for the 2002/03 season. He spent the majority of the season in Rochester but saw some action in Buffalo. He made his NHL debut against Martin Brodeur, stopping 21 of 25 in an OT loss to the New Jersey Devils.
He won the Baz Bastien Memorial Award for the AHL Best Goaltender in 2004/05. Backstopping a Rochester Americans chock-full of young talents like Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek, and Jason Pominville while the NHL was locked out.
The 2005/06 season was Ryan Miller’s time to shine. He took over the starting goalie reins from Martin Biron and helped lead the up-and-coming Sabres squad to an Eastern Conference Finals. The 2006/07 season saw him do the same.
The 2007/08 season saw Ryan Miller shepherd in a new era of Sabres hockey, one without Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. He played in 76 of the 82 games for Buffalo that season, including one magical outdoor hockey game at Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Year’s Day.
His 2009/10 season may have been his best one ever. Miller was named to the US Olympic roster and backstopped the Americans to a miraculous run that ended in heartbreak in overtime of the gold medal game. He recorded an incredible .946 SV% in 6 games at the 2010 Olympics.
After returning home from the Olympics, Miller closed out an incredible campaign for the Buffalo Sabres that saw him walk home with the Vezina Trophy. His performances that season led the team to a Northeast Division crown in the regular season.
Over the next few seasons, Miller provided some excellent performances in net behind an underperforming Sabres squad. When the front office finally decided to enter a rebuild, Ryan Miller and Steve Ott were sent to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, William Carrier, and picks.
The Ryan Miller era in Buffalo may have come to a close at that point in time, but his NHL career continued. He would play three more seasons for the Vancouver Canucks and four more seasons for the Anaheim Ducks before finally hanging up the skates at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season.
Miller would go down as the winningest American goaltender in NHL history. He would also be the winningest goaltender in Buffalo Sabres history. His time in Buffalo was simply defined by winning hockey games.
However, it’s worth noting that Ryan Miller’s impact in the Western New York area goes much deeper than just his stats on paper. He represented Buffalo Sabres hockey for an entire generation.
Every youth hockey goalie in the area wanted to be the one to wear the #30 jersey. Every kid would try their best to imitate the Ryan Miller pre-game meditation routine before a street hockey or mini sticks game. He made being a goalie cool, doing his damndest to fill in the big shoes that Dominik Hasek left behind.
He represents an era of Sabres hockey that had people lining up outside of their local Wilson Farms to purchase a medallion & complete their team set. An era of Sabres hockey that saw a flag with a slug logo on it on just about every car within the 716 area code. An era of Sabres hockey that was filled with hope and good memories.
Tonight will be a celebration of Ryan Miller and everything he meant to this city in his decade here. The celebration of a man who will never be replicated and will surely never be forgotten. The celebration of a man who represents everything it means to be a Buffalo Sabre.
Miller Tee
We teamed up with our friends at Just Dishin to celebrate Millzy’s big night.
If you want to support the brand and rep a Buffalo Sports legend, a limited supply of shirts are available HERE.
The Sabres face a team they will likely have to compete for a playoff spot with this season.
Islanders by the Numbers 📊
Record: 23-19-4 (50 points) | Division: 6th | League: 17th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 49.2% (23rd in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 55.5% (6th in the NHL)
Scouting the Islanders
Hard on Forecheck: the Islanders are one of those teams who will try to wear you down with forecheck pressures and dump-ins, a bit of a different look for this young Sabres squad.
Low-Event Special Teams: don’t expect fireworks on special teams when the Islanders are on the ice. They have a bad power play (27th in GF/60) and a good penalty kill (5th in GA/60).
Goaltending: the Islanders have one of the premier goaltenders in the game in Ilya Sorokin. With Semyon Varlamov getting the start against Boston last night, expect to see Sorokin in net vs. the Sabres.
Players to Watch
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF): the young Sabres goalie just has to ball out on Ryan Miller Night, it’s only right.
Hudson Fasching (NYI): it has been a few seasons since Fasching has last worn a Sabres uniform, bouncing around the Coyotes and Islanders organizations. He seems to have found his spot in a depth role in New York, posting solid underlying numbers in a bottom-six role.