Thought this was pretty special; Just over a week away, USA Hockey will be hosting it's Annual Congress. Ryan Miller will be among the honorees as he will receive the Bob Johnson award. Other honorees will be Brian Burke (receiving Distinguished Achievement Award) and Maple Leafs/Team USA head coach Ron Wilson.

I think this is pretty awesome for Miller and without a doubt deserved.
Full Story; http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=530921

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"Love, love will tear us apart again"- Ian Curtis

In before Crosscheck complains about the democratic congress O:-)

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

WTF?


Good for Miller, but I get a bad feeling last year was his golden year and he didn't have the team in front of him to get the job done.
Maybe I'm just a pessimist though.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

I saw the word congress and I got excited. My bad.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I have the feeling he's got one more golden year and this upcoming season is the year to go all in.

Also, way to go, Ryan, on having the best (statistical) Olympic games an American goaltender has ever had. 1.35 goals against...that's just fucking absurd.

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mechaphil

Well deserved...and Ryan's got more left in him, I refuse to believe that he just had one flash of brilliance...he'll continue to impress us in the years to come.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Well I'm not saying he'll go to crap, just that the stars only align like that once a career and it may be past.

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Hold my beer and watch this...

He deserves this and more.

if he doesn't win the Vezina in a landslide I will freak the frick out like I never even knew I could!!

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Miller deserves every accolade he gets.

I also think that this last season was the year to get it done in the postseason... I do think that Miller will win the Vezina this year (well, duh), and I think he's capable of winning it once or twice more before he's past his prime, but I don't think we'll see another sustained performance like that.

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Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

Miller's just got to reverse it. Get the crazy mind boggling stats in at the end of the year, and save the very good stats for the beginning.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

thats what im thinking. he will probably have another outstanding year next year and be a very capable starter for about 3 or 4 more years, but this was THE year.

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Goalies have weird primes. Either they'll last a season or they'll last 8 seasons. You really just never know.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

Miller will be better next season.

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Wheelhouse

theres no "better" for him to get. thats the top. he may stay on top, but better? its not possible. you dont get better at 30. this is when your skills begin to decline and you have to evolve to stay on top.

better? not a chance. as good? good chance.

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Hasek didn't even begin his prime years until he was 29. Just saying that some goaltenders get better past 30.

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mechaphil

in terms of millers potential, and skillset, which he has one of the best in the league, its simply not possible for him to go up another step. hes elite, one of, if not, the best goaltenders in the league. i think last season was the best he can get, and he could stay right there, but this is the pinnacle. now, i think he will be on a plateau, and wont slip very much, if he slips at all.

but better? this is like expecting gretzky to be better after his 212 point season. for miller, and everything ive seen, it isnt going to happen.

his numbers may improve IF the sabres defense gets better. but thats not him, thats the other guys.

im not a pro scout though. i just dont see it.

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I agree, and I bet there is statistical evidence to back this up. I think a goalies prime playing years begin at 27-29 and last for 6-10 years. I think it takes awhile for the cerebral part of the game to catch up to the NHL pace, and that's why so very few are at their best despite being at the age where their reflexes are the sharpest. In the NHL, it seems to me that timing and awareness are the toughest things to master as a goalie. Miller seems to have figured it all out and he's ready to ride that wave of confidence for a long, long time. Of course you also have to keep the work ethic up and keep pushing yourself, but I see no reason at all to worry about whether or not a guy like Miller will start slacking off. He's solid.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

thats exactly what i believe, but i really just dont think he can get any better.

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I get Mike's point, Ryan's play was so phenomenal last season I don't really know how much better he can get. He will probably benefit from a lighter workload next season (Not an Olympic year, maybe he'll get more rest if we acquire another backup), but really...there really wasn't much error in his game last year even though he played so frequently. Even though he's going to be 30 this summer, I don't expect to see his play decline much, if at all. He's still got several years ahead of him where I expect him to remain one of the top goalies in the league.

I just hope his effort isn't going to be in vain, if anyone deserves to win a Cup, it's him. I almost want us to win the Cup just so Ryan can win it, more than for the city itself...almost.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

thank you caro. while saying those comments, i was all.. please dont hate me, caro...

i think his SKILL will decline some soon, but ryans smart, and he will compensate for it, and he wont miss a beat. id love to see the guy gain 10 pounds though.

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