ANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Ryan Miller knows all about rules barring unapproved corporate sponsorships at the Olympics.
He also isn’t going to be pushed around.
The U.S. goalie, a newcomer to the Olympics, went ahead and had “Miller Time” painted on the mask he designed for the Vancouver Games.
“Just having fun,” Miller said with a wink before practice Monday.
The International Olympic Committee doesn’t see it that way. Miller said he’s been informed the tag line needs to be covered or removed because it’s a slogan for a beer maker.
Miller shrugs that one off, but he is upset that officials are also taking issue with the words “Matt Man” as part of the design. That’s not a slogan but a tribute to Miller’s cousin, Matt Schoals, who died of cancer in 2007.
“My aunt and uncle and my family, it’s important to them, it’s important to me,” said Miller, who has “Matt Man” on his Buffalo Sabres mask. “I’m going to stand up for that.”
In other ways, Miller’s standup ability will be tested when the U.S. opens against Switzerland on Tuesday. Teammate Chris Drury hopes this dustup might further inspire Miller.
“That’s his way of being an individual,” said Drury, who once played with Miller on the Sabres. “Hopefully, it fires him up a little if push does come to shove and they ask him to take it off. And maybe he’ll play even better.”
Miller has been at the top of his game most of this season. Through the NHL’s Olympic break, Miller ranks second in the league with a 2.16 goals-against average. He is fifth with five shutouts and seventh with 30 wins out of 52 appearances.
His stellar play is a big reason why the Sabres are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference after missing the playoffs the last two seasons.
The Sabres were in a 1-4-2 slump entering the break. Still, U.S. coach Ron Wilson had so much confidence in Miller that he called the goaltender with some good news during Super Bowl halftime.
“I told him, ‘You’re the starting goalie. I want you to know that and not worry about it,'” Wilson said. “I told him, ‘Your play this year warrants that and you’re the guy.'”
Wilson intends to rotate his two backups, Boston’s Tim Thomas and Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick.
The conventional wisdom regarding championship tournaments is that a team needs a hot goaltender. That was true at the 1998 Nagano Games when Dominik Hasek – a Sabres goalie then – led the Czech Republic to the gold medal.
“In a short tournament like this, goaltending’s the key, and Ryan’s a key guy for us,” U.S. general manager Brian Burke said. “This is a guy who’s team has relied on him all year with great success.”
Burke is a fan of Miller’s style. Miller is a positional goalie, playing the angles and not afraid to challenge shooters.
“To have a guy that’s calm and reserved, I think is an asset,” Burke said.
In his first taste of the NHL playoffs in 2006, Miller helped the Sabres reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, which they lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina.
Before that postseason run, Miller was asked about his lack of playoff experience.
“You’ve got to start sometime,” he said.
It’s a mantra he intends to use in Vancouver, noting the U.S. roster has only three players with Olympic experience.
“There is a freshness about this team, and there is a little bit of that, ‘Maybe they don’t know any better to be nervous,'” Miller said. “The hype and the excitement gets bigger, but this is just another series of hockey games.”
Miller spoke in a monotone, hardly seeming like someone who would get rattled. He’s used to drawing most of the attention on the Sabres. Now his stage is the Olympics.
“I know what I’m capable of,” he said. “And when I’m dialed in, I can stop the puck.”