The Buffalo Sabres will have a second goaltender in the rafters next season. Ryan Miller’s No. 30 will be retired by the team, joining Dominik Hasek as the only two netminders in franchise history to receive the honor.
Miller will join Tim Horton (2), Rick Martin (7), Gilbert Perreault (11), Rene Robert (14), Pat LaFontaine (16), Danny Gare (18), and Hasek (39) as the numbers retired by the organization.
Sabres’ general manager Kevyn Adams released the following statement:
Ryan Miller embodied what people in Western New York expect from those who wear a Buffalo Sabres uniform: on-ice excellence, commitment, and authentic love for this community. His lasting relationship with the people here in Buffalo remains a standard we strive to follow every day.
We are thrilled for Ryan to take his rightful place alongside his fellow Sabres legends and look forward to celebrating his career.
One of the greatest American-born goaltenders in history, Miller played 540 regular season games for the Sabres over parts of 11 seasons, the most in franchise history. He also leads in wins (284) and saves (16,217), having posted a strong .916 save percentage over his time in Buffalo. While that doesn’t quite touch what Hasek did, Miller’s time with the Sabres was outstanding, culminating in a Vezina Trophy in 2010 as the league’s best netminder.
Interestingly enough, it was 39 that Miller wore at Michigan State and what he would have worn in Buffalo, had it not been for Hasek’s legacy with the team. The two have been compared and linked for decades, as the younger netminder came into the spotlight soon after the legend left. They’ll now both be in the rafters at the KeyBank Center, though a date has not been revealed for Miller’s ceremony to this point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Good move Sabres
I never understood the number retirement, It will take time but eventually you run out of numbers and then what? Ring of honor Is probably a better format.
Are you high or something? Teams have been retiring numbers since the Bruins retired Lionel Hitchman’s number in 1934. No one’s come close to “running out of numbers” yet — not the Bruins, not the Canadiens, not the Leafs, no one … and the Habs have retired 15 numbers so far. No one’s going to “run out of numbers” in my lifetime, your lifetime or your grandchildren’s lifetime.
(shakes his head, muttering)
He should be their goalie coach
Just saw a video on NHL Network of Miller being brought back to the stadium and being told his number would be retired. Really well done by the Sabres. Great way to treat your franchise greats ! Kudos to Buffalo.