By Jordan Long
The Anaheim Ducks are 15-28-7 for 37 points, the least amount of points in the Western Division. The only team worse than them in the NHL is the Buffalo Sabers who have 33 points. They are going to miss the postseason for the 3rd year in a row. Goaltender Ryan Miller has decided to retire once the Ducks season is over.
Miller is finishing up his 18th year in the NHL. Miller started his hockey career with the Buffalo Sabers, lasting from 2002 to 2014. His rookie year, 2002, he had a record of 6 wins, 8 losses, and 1 tie. Miller’s goal against average was 2.63 with a save percentage of .902, a taste of what he could do at the NHL level.
His best season for the Sabers was in 2010. He achieved a career high in wins with 41. He added a 2.22 goals against average and a save percentage of .929. Miller would end up with 30 or more wins with the Sabers 7 times. Buffalo went to the playoffs 4 times with Miller as their goaltender. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, they were knocked off by the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games. 2007, Buffalo was hoping to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. Unfortunately, they lost to the Ottawa Senators in 5 games.
Miller stayed with the Sabers until February 28th, 2014. He was dealt to the St. Louis Blues. He played in 19 games for the Blues with a record of 10 wins, 8 losses, and 1 overtime loss. The Blues ended up in the postseason, but it was a first-round exit losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games.
Miller was a free agent at the end of 2014. The Blues decided he didn’t do enough and let him go. Vancouver agreed to a contract with him. He was in Vancouver until the end of the 2017 season. The top year for him in Vancouver was 2015. His record was 29 wins, 15 losses, and 1 overtime loss. Vancouver advanced to the postseason once, 2015. They lost in the 1st round to the Calgary Flames in 6 games.
Miller wanted a chance to win a Stanley Cup, the only thing missing from his Hall of Fame resume. He thought the Ducks had the best chance of winning it. He agreed to a two-year contract on July 1st, 2017. In his first season with the Ducks, he went 12 wins, 6 losses, and 6 overtime losses. They ended up in the playoffs but couldn’t skate past the San Jose Sharks in the 1st-round. They haven’t been back.
Miller is in the midst of the worst year in his hockey career. He has 3 wins, 8 losses, and 1 overtime loss. His goals against average is 3.60 with a save percentage of .882. Miller is showing he can’t play at the NHL at a high level anymore and will retire once the Ducks conclude the season.
According to msn.com, Miller said, “It was a dream come true when I played my first NHL game and it has been a privilege to spend 18 years as a professional. I have decided that I am going to retire after the season having been given more time doing what I love than I could ever have hoped for.”
Miller will leave the game as the best goaltender from the United States. He has earned 390 victories in his career which is the top of the list for an American-born goaltender. That may go up if the Ducks start him in any of their remaining 6 games. Right now, his wins rank 14th in NHL history. Miller may not have won a Stanley Cup but he should go into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His regular season wins prove what he could do on the ice. Hopefully, that will be his next stop.
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