Another organization will soon celebrate the remarkable career of former Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.
USA Hockey announced Thursday that Miller is one of five inductees to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, along with Steve Cash, Jim Johansson, Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando.
The formal enshrinement will take place at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 30. The ceremony will occur after his induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 9 and before his No. 30 jersey is retired by the Sabres during a pregame ceremony at KeyBank Center on Jan. 19.
Miller, 42, retired in 2021 as the winningest American-born goalie in NHL history with 391 career victories across 18 seasons with Buffalo, St. Louis, Vancouver and Anaheim.
"It’s hard to put into words," Miller said on a videoconference call following the announcement. "It’s been a lot to look back on, and I’ve enjoyed all my different stops along the way. It’s been especially nice to reconnect in Buffalo. I feel like when I got traded, my life got a lot busier with the birth of our son seven years ago. And then, when you’re just kind of in hockey season, you’re not able to have all the freedom you want and mix in some busyness.
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"It’s been tough to get back, so I’m really looking forward and excited about being around Buffalo in November and January, trying to reconnect with some people. That’s been the nice part about some of these honors. I get to connect with people and interact with them."
Twice, he represented the United States at the Olympics, including a dominant 2010 performance in which he posted a .946 save percentage to earn MVP honors and lead the team to a silver medal. He also represented Team USA at the IIHF Men’s World Championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. In those tournaments, Miller registered a 2.09 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and two shutouts.
Still beloved by hockey fans in Buffalo, Miller is the Sabres' all-time leader in games played by a goalie (540), wins (284) and saves (14,847). His 28 shutouts rank second behind Dominik Hasek's 55.
Miller set NHL records for an American-born netminder with 60 career shootout victories and 10 in a single season (2006-07). A two-time NHL All-Star, he had 44 shutouts, which ranks second all-time in the NHL among American-born goaltenders.
During his time in Buffalo from 2002 to 2014, Miller led the Sabres to the Stanley Cup Playoffs on four occasions and won the Vezina Trophy in 2010. He's also beloved for his impact off the ice in Western New York through his Steadfast Foundation. He started the not-for-profit organization in 2006 to help raise money for pediatric cancer research.
His annual "Catwalk for Charity" event was a prominent philanthropic endeavor in Buffalo and benefited the Courage of Carly Club at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Long after his trade to St. Louis in 2014, Miller continued to lend a helping hand to people in Western New York. In June 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he auctioned off items, including game-used equipment, to benefit FeedMore WNY, the Buffalo Police Athletic League and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Calif.
For his work on and off the ice, Miller will become the eighth player in Sabres history to have his number retired, joining Tim Horton (2), Richard Martin (7), Gilbert Perreault (11), Rene Robert (14), Pat LaFontaine (16), Danny Gare (18) and Hasek (39).
The team has also hung banners for former owners Seymour and Northrup Knox as well as broadcaster Rick Jeanneret, whose banner that features a microphone was hung as part of an elaborate pregame ceremony April 1.
Additionally, Miller will become the 43rd member of the Sabres Hall of Fame, which hasn't inducted anyone since Hasek in 2014.
This latest honor also had a special meaning for Miller. Johansson, a longtime executive with USA Hockey, connected Miller to the organization, beginning with the goalie's collegiate career at Michigan State. Miller got to know the Lamoureux sisters at the Winter Olympics in 2010 and once met Cash, a paralympian goaltender, before a Blues game.
Each induction ceremony will provide Miller with an opportunity to see friends, former teammates and others that crossed his path during his storied career.
"I’m ready to reconnect with some people and look back," Miller said. "That’s the fun part about my career. I always felt a part of the cities I played in, a part of the teams I played with. I thought that was important and it’s nice to be able to do that part of it. These honors have been tremendous."
