Sabres Goalie Making Saves of a Different Sort

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller has become a hero in Buffalo for his work both on and off the ice. (Bill Wippert/NHLI/Getty Images)

In his four full seasons as the Buffalo Sabres starting goaltender, it's been Ryan Miller's job on the ice to keep the puck from going in his net.

And he's done a magnificent job of it, twice leading the Sabres to the Eastern Conference Finals, playing in the NHL All-Star Game and recently signing a $31.25 million contract to remain in Buffalo through the 2013-14 season.

But during his time in Buffalo, Miller's Steadfast Foundation has done a lot of saving as well, working closely with local hospitals and charity groups to raise money and awareness for local cancer patients.

FanAwards.com spoke recently with the Sabres superstar, just 28, about his start in hockey, his on-ice development as a teenager and wanting to win a Cup for the fans in Buffalo.

FAN: Ryan, how did you get your start in hockey?

Miller: It was a family thing. My grandfather and great uncle went to Michigan State University and they came to East Lansing to go to school. They both played hockey. My dad ended up going (to Michigan State) to play hockey. My cousin did. So it was really a family thing where lots of my family members were involved. Ten members of my family have gone to Michigan State over the years. So hockey, to me, was a passed-down tradition.

You don’t see a lot of players just starting up playing the game on a whim. It's usually a family member or a close friend who gets them started playing the sport. Because it's not just the easiest thing to start up. It takes ice, it takes equipment, it takes time to learn how to skate.

FAN: At what age did you start playing? Was it family members who first took you out on the ice?

Miller: Yep, that's pretty much how it went. I started playing organized hockey when I was 4 or 5 years old. But a lot of it was just playing and messing around when we were kids. My brother and I had a real love for the game, so we were always playing.

FAN: You grew up in East Lansing, Michigan. What was hockey like there when you were at the youth level?

Miller: There's a pretty good youth program there. I grew up playing in the Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association and I think they've expanded a lot since I was there. I've helped out with some of their camps more recently and there are a lot more kids involved with it now.

And hockey's a real tradition throughout Michigan. It wasn't exactly like a "hotbed" of hockey or anything… I think the Detroit area supported a lot more youth teams… but it was a really good place to grow up and play. There's a lot of awareness for the sport. Michigan State hockey games are a great place for kids to go and see the sport at another level.

FAN: Did you play other sports, too, when you were a youngster?

Miller: I played baseball and soccer for a while… but not too long. I played till I was 13 or 14. Then I focused primarily on hockey. At that age, hockey got a lot more serious. For the teams I was playing on then, there was a lot more traveling and tournaments. I played other things and it was fun to be with a different group of friends, but I always enjoyed hockey more. I enjoyed playing it and I liked watching it on TV. I played with my brother and the other kids in the neighborhood and we'd set up street hockey games all the time.

FAN: You're the oldest of four kids and your brother Drew (3½ years younger) is also a pro hockey player. Did you guys ever play on the same team together when you were little? Was there a rivalry between you two at a young age?

Miller: I think we both just enjoyed the sport. There wasn't much of a chance for us to develop a rivalry, especially with me being just old enough to be a level or two ahead of him and my focusing on being a goalie pretty early in my career. We'd practice together during the summer, but it was never all that serious.

The first time we ever played against each other was actually in the NHL. That was pretty wild. One of the first games of the year (back in 2007-08), we played in Anaheim. And Drew started the season with the Ducks. Having grown up together and always playing hockey… but never playing against each other until we're both in the National Hockey League? It was crazy.

FAN: Did you get a chance to stone him on some scoring chances in the game?

Miller: He had a few shots, yeah. But no great looks. If he'd gotten one shot up in a scramble, he might have scored. But he didn't. So he waited until the whistle blew… and I stood up, then he punched me in the face. It was right in front of the ref. But he knew we were brothers, so he just shook his head. Pretty standard for brothers, I guess.

FAN: High school is the time when hockey typically heats up for serious pro prospects. Did you play in high school or were you already playing in junior leagues at that time? What was hockey about in those days?

Miller: I played on a travel team and a junior team. It was pretty funny because everyone at my high school wanted to know why I wasn't playing for the high school team and why I was always gone. After my freshman year in East Lansing, we moved to the Detroit area. I played hockey there and then we moved away again after that to go to Sault Ste. Marie where I played too. I had a lot of friends who didn't know that much about hockey who didn't understand the whole "moving around" thing and didn't get the level I was trying to compete at. I was never around, I missed a lot of the parties and other functions and I was never around on the weekends. And some people probably thought I was just a big jerk or something. But my close friends knew and they understood. And I still keep in contact with some of them.

FAN: At what point was playing in college a real possibility? Why did you decide to take that route instead of the major junior route that a lot of top hockey prospects take?

Miller: Well, that was a much tougher decision than I thought it was going to be. One, I had to put myself in position to actually play in college. But prior to deciding to go to Michigan State, I was offered a scholarship to go to Clarkson. And that was a tough offer to pass up, because they wanted me to come in as a true freshman. The issue was that would have been a young age for me… and I'm a bit of a late bloomer. I'm still a pretty skinny guy. So I had to decide between going in as a young, skinny kid and trying to make an impact from the get-go or waiting another year and trying to get stronger and going to the place I'd always dreamed of playing (Michigan State). Ultimately, I decided that I couldn't pass up an opportunity to fulfill a dream. No matter how it eventually turned out, if I didn't try to go play at State, I'd be disappointed in myself for working that hard and passing on it. So I took that route and eventually got to Michigan State and things progressed from there.

I was in the Soo for three years: one year of midgets, two years of juniors. And it was after that first year of juniors that I had to make the decision (about Clarkson). I decided to go back to Sault Ste. Marie for that last year and I went to Michigan State as a 19-year-old.

Miller got involved in the fight against cancer because of his cousin, Matt, who lost his battle with leukemia in 2007. (Courtesy of Carly's Club)

FAN: Was going to play at Michigan State a big step up in terms of competition? Were you prepared at that point for the next level?

Miller: It was definitely a step up. But we had a good team and that made the transition easier. We had some amazing players then: Shawn Horcoff was our captain. We had Adam Hall, John-Michael Liles and some other guys who went on to have NHL careers. So I just stepped in and did what I could do. It wasn’t a huge step because I'd made some real strides in junior hockey the previous year to improve my game

FAN: At what point were you drafted by Buffalo?

Miller: I was drafted right out of juniors… before I even got to Michigan State. The hockey draft is done by your age, not by when you're out of school.

FAN: So at Michigan State, you lived up to your family's reputation and more. You were the CCHA's Goaltender of the Year all three of your seasons there and, as a sophomore in 2001, you won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player. That season you led the country in wins, winning percentage, save percentage, goals-against average and shutouts. At what point did you start to think about moving on to the professional ranks?

Miller: I left after my junior year at Michigan State because I had a lot more that I could learn playing (for Rochester, the Sabres' minor league affiliate) in the American (Hockey) League. And if I was going to make hockey a career choice, I had to start learning and really make progress towards doing it. I didn't want to wait until I was almost 23 to get out there. You want to start learning as early as you can to give yourself the best chance possible to succeed. You don’t want to be past that point before you give it a real chance. So I signed and left the boys in my class (at MSU). It was a bit of a transition year anyway, with a new coach coming in. It was a tough decision because I was having a lot of fun as a college athlete and being around the guys. But it was about choosing a career and, frankly, some people in the hockey world thought I should have left school after the Hobey Baker my sophomore year. But again, I took another year, got stronger and improved my game. So then I went to Rochester and continued doing the same thing.

FAN: What was your first impression of Buffalo when you were called up to the team?

Miller: I was just excited to be there with the NHL club. I didn't get a chance to take (the city) in. I just had dinner at a restaurant, I was at the rink and I didn't know how long I'd be up as a rookie. So I was off the wall a little bit. I didn't know too many people that year because I really didn't know how long I'd be around. I just focused on trying to take in the experience and learn from it.

FAN: You eventually earned the starting job and had a couple of solid seasons before really breaking out during the Sabres' Conference Finals runs in 2005-06 and 2006-07. What did those playoff runs mean to the team, to the city and to the fans there?

Miller: You couldn’t help but get the impression that everyone in the city was living and dying by our games. There were thousands of people outside watching the games on big screens. And the city was just hopping.

The first year, we were playing the Flyers in the first round. And my mom came to a game wearing a spring dress… But it had orange in it (the Flyers' main color), so she realized she couldn’t wear that (laughs). So we went to the mall… and I hadn't really experienced it to that point, but people were stopping and staring and asking for pictures and autographs. That experience helped me to realize what the city and the people here are all about during playoff time.

That first year up, I was playing with Paul Gaustad and we thought we were unrecognizable rookies. We thought we could go get dinner, hang out, whatever… and no one would know who we were. We didn't realize how many people were actually paying attention to us.

FAN: This year started off with a lot of promise. You and the team got off to a good start, but you both hit a midseason dry spell. You missed about a month, came back and tried to help the team sneak into the postseason, but you finished on the outside of the playoff hunt. How are you feeling now?

Miller: I feel OK. My injury was a high-ankle sprain, so it's just going to be a nagging sort of pain for a little while until I can get off the ice for a few months. It was good enough to play and all I could do was go out there and battle. I was a little bit rusty immediately after I came back, but we were pushing hard for the playoffs and trying to put a good run together. We didn't end up where we wanted, but we'll be back trying to make it next year.

FAN: Is the support for the team different when you aren't in the middle of your best season? Or are the fans pretty consistent in the way they follow and support the team?

Miller: They're pretty consistent. They expect you to compete and give your best every night. Of course, they get frustrated with the team when we're not in the position they think we should be in. And I thought we were a good enough team to make the playoffs this year. And I think we're going to keep building the team to a point where we're competing for the Stanley Cup on a regular basis. We have the talent. We just have to round out our game a little bit. But they treat us pretty fairly.

We've put ourselves in a tough position and didn't have the kind of success we wanted this year. I'm sure the fans are unhappy with our results, but I think they realize how much we put into this season. And we're going to keep working hard to improve on it next season.

FAN: Now that you've been in Buffalo for seven years now, what do you think of the city as a sports town?

Miller: I like the city a lot. It has a great feel to it. People care about each other and support the city's best interests. I started my own foundation here, The Steadfast Foundation, and people have come out and supported it in a big way from the start. They bought into our mission. And it's not just my foundation, either. I've seen the support the people here have for other charitable organizations, as well.

As far as the sports, it's all about football and hockey! The people here are very proud of their two major league organizations and they have high expectations for them too. They haven't experienced any championships here yet, but having played here, I can honestly say that you always want to play your best for these fans because they're so passionate.

FAN: What do you think winning a title – either the Bills or the Sabres – would mean to the community?

Miller: Well, I think they'd put up a lot of statues (laughs). If we could bring a championship back, I don’t think it would ever be forgotten in this town. They'd want to immortalize every bit of it. That's how much they love their sports here. Just look at the Bills and how close they came to winning a title. All of those players from those years are remembered so fondly. Those players brought the people of Buffalo really close.

And it takes a lot to win. It's hard to win. And fans respect that. But they want to see the honest effort and they want to see a team that cares.

FAN: What about the Bills? Even though you're from Michigan, have you become a fan of theirs, too? Do you get caught up in the excitement surrounding the football in Buffalo?

Miller: Having been here and been around some of the Bills and seeing the people here who live and die with their games, you really see how supportive of the team this community is. And you see how hard the front office here works to put a competitive team out there on the field. And I've become a fan.

Click the logo for more information on The Steadfast Foundation.

FAN: You're also very involved in the community here, having done a considerable amount of charity work. In particular, your Steadfast Foundation has done a lot to raise money for cancer patients and their families. Tell us a little more about The Steadfast Foundation.

Miller: It's funny the way Steadfast has evolved. When we started, it was just to inspire my cousin Matt by selling some t-shirts. A lot of people wanted to support him in his fight and it was a great way for him to connect with other kids and other families. But as things with him and his illness progressed, Steadfast took a different direction. People kept asking what they could do, whether it was raising money or helping out or whatever, and it became more of a cause.

And we recently got our 501(c)(3), which is the official documentation for us to be a stand-alone foundation. And we're doing great things with Carly's Club to help raise money for fighting the battle against cancer. A couple of years ago, we worked on a "Cancer in the Classroom" program that helped show kids, teachers and parents what to expect when coming back from cancer treatment, especially if they've missed major amounts of time in school. Some of the cancer treatments involve being quarantined, so we also worked on technology to help those people communicate with some of their families and friends who couldn't be there with them. We got the patients laptops and chat software, so that they could talk to the people they hadn’t seen in a while.

We're just trying to think of fun ways to help cancer patients in the community. And the money we raise here stays here in Buffalo. So that's a great thing to be able to give back to this city.