Bruins ran over Miller/By S. Bradley
While the Buffalo Sabres’ actions Nov. 23 in their rematch with the Bruins will give us the only true measure of their toughness, Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller is still talking a good game.
Even in the aftermath of the NHL’s decision not to suspend Milan Lucic for the collision with Miller Saturday night, and Lucic’s explanation that he didn’t see Miller as he went for the puck, the netminder made it clear today he’s not in a forgiving mood when it comes to the Bruins forward.
“I was setting up for a breakaway. He mishandled the puck. I think he was mad he lost the puck,” Miller told reporters, including Bill Hoppe, today during an impromptu media gathering. “I’ve heard what he has to say. Do I buy it? I think he said what he had to say to avoid being suspended. I think it’s the NHL, man. The guy can skate. He can stop, he can turn, he can pick his head up. If you’re chasing the puck … he last touched it around the red line, and I touched it at the faceoff dot. From where I would challenge him for a breakaway, it’s a matter of what, like, 10 feet difference? I wasn’t skating out to the top of the circle. It’s reasonable the puck’s coming toward my crease that I swat it away, clear it. If he didn’t see me, then I don’t even know how that can happen.”
While defending his teammates’ lack of a response to Lucic, Miller, who is out indefinitely with a concussion, couldn’t resist taking a dig at Lucic as well.
“I’ve been with a lot of these guys for a really long time. For one incident and one tough stretch of hockey to start to become what it was, I think is unfair to me and I think is unfair to the guys in here. You guys aren’t in the locker room. You guys don’t know what’s going on. We allow you in here for these interviews. We don’t conduct ourselves the same ways as we do with each other,” he said. “We’re speaking to the fans, we’re speaking to you guys because there has to be a voice around the team. … Those kind of issues, we don’t deal with it. We certainly don’t deal with it in the media. What we have said, and what Paul [Gaustad] has said and some other guys have said, I appreciate that they want to do more.
“But, I mean, what can you really do. Are you going to get a suspension yourself? Lucic is a tough guy. What are you going to do? Try to hack him, spear him, cheap-shot him. You’re no better than he is. We’ll play tough, hard-nosed hockey, and we’ll have five more chances to play them. It’s not about open season; it’s about playing the game the right way and playing it hard and I hope we have the character to go out there and win those games.”
There you have it. November 23 can’t come soon enough. And it’ll be interesting to see what happens when (not if) a Bruins play gets within spitting distance of the Buffalo goal crease — be it with Jhonas Enroth playing there or a recuperated Miller.
Miller certainly didn’t shy away from contact there. In fact, he put his arms up and borderline initiated it
Both players braced for impact on what was essentially a 50/50 puck. If a goalie is going to wander THAT far out of his crease to play a puck not over the end line then expcet that you could be in the line of fire. That INCLUDES Timmy. Any other goalie wanders out to cut off the angles and makes the player play the puck past him. Lean in to poke check a puck on a guy like Looch who is skating as hard as he can and expect to get “run”.
Sorry – I meant ‘previous’ games. By the way – he lifted his shoulder to hit Looch – what does he expect a player to do in that situation? Should Looch have instead put Himself in a compromising situation where he could have been injured crashing into the end boards?
CNL – I’m with you. I think RM’s anger was related just as much to his team not giving a damn, his own player running Seguin over top of him (probably causing this phantom concussion)and his crappy play not only that night but in subsequent games. He was probably also embarrassed at the fact he looked like a grasshopper on the windshield of a south-bound RV in winter on that play.
I’m sorry that he was hurt – that sucks – and it sucks for a long suffering Buffalo team that was playing really well, but lets not lose sight of the fact that he did nothing himself to get out of the way when he had full view of what was bearing down on him.
The point is where do you draw the line? If Miller went into the corner to play a dump-in and Lucic hammers him on the forecheck, I’m not sure even that would warrant a suspension though even I would have to agree if the league decided it was warranted. It would be a penalty.
Back to the point. Where is the line drawn?? Cole on Enroth the next night?? No puck anywhere and he makes contact right in his crease. Gionta on Reimer?? There was actual illegal contact made there (with the head), regardless if it’s a goalie or not, Reimer is still not playing, and was also in his crease. I don’t think both of those deserved extra punishment either but if some Hab fan wants to make an argument, I’m game.
What really is pissing off Boohoo here is that they were the laughing-stock of the league for not doing anything about it and got blown out in the game. If the Sabres score on the PP, it’s 2-0 and Lucic looks like an idiot for doing it. Instead, we kill it, pump 6 by Miller and Enroth and stores start selling out of kleenex all over Buffalo.
RD – Exactly the point. The Coach for the team of the injured player publicly called for punishment – received none – NO OUTRAGE. None.
This is different b/c?? Remember.. Reimer was in his friggin’ crease where he is supposed to be entirely protected.
I will give Miller some credit though.. at least he didn’t dive. Unless you want to call Bogus on this ridiculous claim that he was concussed on the hit. Doh!
Bojangles, Cormac,
Ron Wilson was very public about his calling for a suspension for that hit.
Bo,
Come on man…you have to take the “Wise Monkey” stance when discussing a hab player’s dubious action…see, speak, hear no evil. It could upset some visitors.
Yo, JPT – Gionta knocked Reimer silly while he was IN HIS CREASE… where’s the outrage?
I guess it’s different b/c the Canadiens suck.
The bottom line is that the hit was not worth a suspension. It is really hard to make the case that it was, considering all the crap that happens without suspension.
People are entitled to their opinions on subjects like these.
I applaud Miller for being honest in his opinions about Milan. We have far too many bland “110%”, “one game at a time” non-quotes to deal with. It’s about time someone got honest about the opponent. Equate it to Krejci running to the press to call the Canadiens a dirty team. It was his opinion and his right to express it.
Many people who aren’t Boston fans don’t buy Lucic’s explanation but he was penalized because he was full of crap. Suspending him would be a step too far because it wasn’t a headshot. He just did nothing to avoid the collision with the much smaller man which doesn’t exactly make him a hero.
I think Boston players may be coached on how to deal with the media after incidents like this occur. Had Lucic said something like “what? He was 20 feet out of his net. He got cranked and that’s his problem”, he would have been suspended.
I can’t think of the last time I heard an NHL player go so out of his way to complain this much. You sometimes see this out of from coaches and GMs, but not players. He has every right to feel this way, but he is going so far out of his way to express it that it’s getting ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as the blindside, cheap shot he took to the head from Lucic though. Amirite JPT???
The only solution would be to actually run Miller and then point out to him what it looks like when he really gets run. I mean, is Miller out of his freaking mind? Does he realize how far out of the crease he is? Does he realize that he essentially initiated the contact? He races out towards Lucic and then puts his arms up to brace for a collision. His only problem is that he was bumping into a freight train. Lesson learned you whiny freak.
He sounds like an entitled little baby and someone who will think twice about roaming around like he owns the place. I hope his concussion is gone by Nov. 23. I would love to pump 5 goals through and shoot another off his mask. Get real Miller, if you have a problem with contact go play soccer.
This whole debate is so stupid that it is numbing. Miller is a queen, JPT brings nothing to the table, and “your mom”‘s post was one of the best in this website’s history
Your spelling should be eligale JPT. Be mad because the champs are back and playing the type of hockey they should’ve been playing all along. If Montreal and Buffalo had a baby it would be a soccer team. Vancouver would be the aunt.
Aaron Rome delivers a nice hard clean hit to Horton last year and he gets suspended for the rest of the playoffs. Lucic delivers an eligale hit to Miller and talks his way out of a suspension. The NHL head office is the laughingstock of pro sports.
Sorry if I touch upon anything written on this in earlier threads but Miller and the Boohoo Sabres continue to confuse me with their view of this matter.
Did Lucic go out of his way to make contact with Miller? No.
Did Lucic make any kind of illegal contact with Miller (aside from simply making contact with a goalie)? No.
Was he penalized on the play? Yes.
There is nothing more that can be done here. If you choose to race a player, looking for a breakaway, for the puck, you assume the risk that that player may make contact with you. The player assumes the risk that that contact may get him a penalty.
Sorry about your luck.