Miller Interview on Delia Incident

[JamesB]

There has been extensive discussion in the post-game thread of Miller's actions at the end of the Winnipeg game. But I think the issue is bigger than just one game and it came through in this interview today (Friday). It is really about the attitude and performance of a guy who just signed a monster contract. It is, for the example, the headline story in the current Vancouver Sun. (See https://vancouversun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-bruce-boudreau-says-j-t-millers-stick-smash-at-collin-delia-my-fault/wcm/626788a6-806f-4301-81ec-38577ec23abb).

 

To me, one key quote from Miller's interview is the following:

 

"Like I don’t care about this at all. I only care about the guys in the room and my coaches and my teammates. It’s all I care about, and I didn’t even know it was a thing until today.”

 

Notice that Miller failed to mention fans. And he has said similar things before--indicating that he does have any consideration for fans. He seems unaware of the fact that fans,, indirectly but undeniably, provide the money for his $8 million per year cap hit. (And this is U.S. dollars -- more that $10 million per year in Canadian dollars.) His attitude is one of complete entitlement -- like he owes the fans nothing despite their financial support and general support. 

 

That are several other aspects of his attitude that bother me -- like his lack of support for a new young teammate (Delia) who was playing really well and covering for Miller's mistakes. A guy like that does not deserve the "A" on his sweater. 

 

It would have been a minor issue if Miller had just admitted he was wrong (as he certainly was) and apologized. Instead he chose to act like a complete jerk.

By the way, it is the coach who make the call on when the goalie leaves the ice, not a guy circling around his own zone with the puck as time it ticking away. 

 

I know he will have defenders, A lot of fans will support almost anything about the Canucks (even Benning's performance as GM --at least until he was finally fired).

 

Next time I go to a game I will be tempted to shout "trade Miller", although I won't have the nerve to actually do it.  I do think trading Miller would be best thing the team could do at this stage, even if it is just for "future considerations"  (i.e. nothing)

[FijianCanuck]

This guy might make Messier look like a good humble honest man while he was in van. 

[Ted Lasso]

It’s not a good look, but it’s also not worth all the press.

[Tanti9]

14 minutes ago, JamesB said:

There has been extensive discussion in the post-game thread of Miller's actions at the end of the Winnipeg game. But I think the issue is bigger than just one game and it came through in this interview today (Friday). It is really about the attitude and performance of a guy who just signed a monster contract. It is, for the example, the headline story in the current Vancouver Sun. (See https://vancouversun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-bruce-boudreau-says-j-t-millers-stick-smash-at-collin-delia-my-fault/wcm/626788a6-806f-4301-81ec-38577ec23abb).

 

To me, one key quote from Miller's interview is the following:

 

"Like I don’t care about this at all. I only care about the guys in the room and my coaches and my teammates. It’s all I care about, and I didn’t even know it was a thing until today.”

 

Notice that Miller failed to mention fans. And he has said similar things before--indicating that he does have any consideration for fans. He seems unaware of the fact that fans,, indirectly but undeniably, provide the money for his $8 million per year cap hit. (And this is U.S. dollars -- more that $10 million per year in Canadian dollars.) His attitude is one of complete entitlement -- like he owes the fans nothing despite their financial support and general support. 

 

That are several other aspects of his attitude that bother me -- like his lack of support for a new young teammate (Delia) who was playing really well and covering for Miller's mistakes. A guy like that does not deserve the "A" on his sweater. 

 

It would have been a minor issue if Miller had just admitted he was wrong (as he certainly was) and apologized. Instead he chose to act like a complete jerk.

By the way, it is the coach who make the call on when the goalie leaves the ice, not a guy circling around his own zone with the puck as time it ticking away. 

 

I know he will have defenders, A lot of fans will support almost anything about the Canucks (even Benning's performance as GM --at least until he was finally fired).

 

Next time I go to a game I will be tempted to shout "trade Miller", although I won't have the nerve to actually do it.  I do think trading Miller would be best thing the team could do at this stage, even if it is just for "future considerations"  (i.e. nothing)

Players don't really 'care' about the fans in the heat of the moment. They are elite athletes competing, its like asking Mbappe if he cares if he's cheered or boo'd he doesn't he cares about winning.

 

That being said, Miller should, as you said, handled it better. If it were me, I would say, I was trying to get his attention, I was frustrated and probably should have managed it better, but I am trying to win. Leave it at that, short and sweet and move on.

[-AJ-]

25 minutes ago, FijianCanuck said:

This guy might make Messier look like a good humble honest man while he was in van. 

Give your head a shake. Miller might be frustrating and arrogant at times, but nowhere close to what Messier was in Vancouver.

 

As for my thoughts on Miller--I think what he did was a dumb and selfish move that was unfortunately seen by the public eye. He's a competitor and one who doesn't control himself very well when emotional, which leads to him making mistakes, both hockey mistakes and interpersonal mistakes.

 

That said, I think that as long as both players are reasonably gracious, I think this will be water under the bridge for Delia and Miller pretty quickly. In the heat of competition, I think many players would expect some guys to say or do dumb things due to the extreme emotions fueling through them and give them a break for some dumb things they say or do.

 

If Miller continued to rag on Delia even after the game and the following day, etc., then I would have a serious issue with this. As it is, he's a hothead who loses control when he gets overly emotional, which is a flaw, but one I could live with, as long as he realizes his wrongdoings later when he's cooler-minded and apologizes.

[Tanti9]

6 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

Give your head a shake. Miller might be frustrating and arrogant at times, but nowhere close to what Messier was in Vancouver.

Messier caused Linden to be traded. Linden got us Bert and Mccabe. And trading Linden at that time was probably one of the best things the Canucks ever did. He was at his peak, and was never the same player after. Something the Canucks seldom do... move a player at their peak for young talent.

The McCabe trade led to us getting the twins

I get the hate on Messier, but his impact on the franchise was not as bad as many scream about. Both Naslund and Bert also credit him for teaching them how hard they had to compete.

 

If Messier was never here, the West Coast Express would have never been here, the twins either, and Nazzy would never have been the same player. Alot to be thankful for.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Tanti9

[-AJ-]

3 minutes ago, Tanti9 said:

Messier ran Linden out of town. Linden got Bert and Mccabe. And trading Linden at that time was probably one of the best things the Canucks every did. He was at his peak, and was never the same player after. Something the Canucks seldom do... move a player at their peak for young talent.

Mccabe led to the twins

I get the hate on Messier, but his impact on the franchise was not as bad as many scream about. Both Naslund and Bert also credit him for teaching them how hard they had to compete.

 

If Messier was never here, the West Coast Express would have never been here, the twins either, and Nazzy would never have been the same player. Alot to be thankful for.

I definitely understand some of the good ramifications of what happened from Messier's time in Vancouver, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was beyond arrogant and had no issue with Iron Mike's tyranny in the locker room. Obviously, as you stated, things ended up working out well, but it was definitely making lemonade out of lemons, which doesn't remove the issue that the lemons still existed.

[Tanti9]

Just now, -AJ- said:

I definitely understand some of the good ramifications of what happened from Messier's time in Vancouver, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he was beyond arrogant and had no issue with Iron Mike's tyranny in the locker room. Obviously, as you stated, things ended up working out well, but it was definitely making lemonade out of lemons, which doesn't remove the issue that the lemons still existed.

Agree, but I think if you weigh the impact of him being here or not, I'll take those sour lemons any time if it means seeing hockey like we saw as a result..

[nuckin_futz]

49 minutes ago, Tanti9 said:

Messier caused Linden to be traded. Linden got us Bert and Mccabe. And trading Linden at that time was probably one of the best things the Canucks ever did. He was at his peak, and was never the same player after. Something the Canucks seldom do... move a player at their peak for young talent.

The McCabe trade led to us getting the twins

I get the hate on Messier, but his impact on the franchise was not as bad as many scream about. Both Naslund and Bert also credit him for teaching them how hard they had to compete.

 

If Messier was never here, the West Coast Express would have never been here, the twins either, and Nazzy would never have been the same player. Alot to be thankful for.

[ShawnAntoski]

1 hour ago, Tanti9 said:

Messier caused Linden to be traded. Linden got us Bert and Mccabe. And trading Linden at that time was probably one of the best things the Canucks ever did. He was at his peak, and was never the same player after. Something the Canucks seldom do... move a player at their peak for young talent.

The McCabe trade led to us getting the twins

I get the hate on Messier, but his impact on the franchise was not as bad as many scream about. Both Naslund and Bert also credit him for teaching them how hard they had to compete.

 

If Messier was never here, the West Coast Express would have never been here, the twins either, and Nazzy would never have been the same player. Alot to be thankful for.

Messier was Keenans' mess and it was similar to Gillis' signing of Sundin.  But good points, on the events afterwards...

Edited December 31, 2022 by ShawnAntoski

[-DLC-]

OMG, seriously?

 

What a big fuss over nothing. This is ridiculous...he's a competitor who wants to win. He cares about his teammates and has made that clear. Good God, no one'll ever want to sign here if this is the kind of stuff we blow up.

 

The coach DID make the call but admits it was somewhat confusing. Holy hell, this is such a non story and it's kind of embarrassing that our fan base runs with it. We're always wanting to create a stir and this soap opera mentality is really too much.

 

From people tracking down GM's in supermarkets to flying planes overhead to screaming over a guy who, in the dying seconds of a close game, reacted with urgency. It's always something.

[shiznak]

1 hour ago, Tanti9 said:

Messier caused Linden to be traded. Linden got us Bert and Mccabe. And trading Linden at that time was probably one of the best things the Canucks ever did. He was at his peak, and was never the same player after. Something the Canucks seldom do... move a player at their peak for young talent.

The McCabe trade led to us getting the twins

I get the hate on Messier, but his impact on the franchise was not as bad as many scream about. Both Naslund and Bert also credit him for teaching them how hard they had to compete.

 

If Messier was never here, the West Coast Express would have never been here, the twins either, and Nazzy would never have been the same player. Alot to be thankful for.

I think there’s a misconception that Messier was the reason Linden got traded/ran him out of town. When really it was Keenan who orchestrated Linden’s demise in Vancouver. Keenan was the guy who asked Linden to give the captaincy to Messier and Linden agreed to. Messier revealed later on in a Reddit AMA, that the only regret in his hockey career was accepting the captaincy from Linden. 
 

I think most of the Messier hate was because he came from the Rangers, a rival at the time and he was being paid a lot, who did very little. He was the 2nd highest paid player in the entire league at the time, and did absolutely nothing but coast during his time here. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by shiznak

[-DLC-]

1 hour ago, Tanti9 said:

Agree, but I think if you weigh the impact of him being here or not, I'll take those sour lemons any time if it means seeing hockey like we saw as a result..

You give him FAR too much credit. He was a lazy floater cashing in a pay cheque here....nothing more. 

 

And his dirty crosscheck on Linden will forever mark him as a dirty POS here. I gave up on my team for the short time he was here.  Can't stand him.

 

His impact here? While he was with the team we went from playoffs to not qualifying and dropping about 10 spots in the standings. I remember it well...it was a dark time. 

[Tanti9]

3 minutes ago, shiznak said:

I think there’s a misconception that Messier was the reason Linden got traded/ran him out of town. When really it was Keenan who orchestrated Linden’s demise in Vancouver. Keenan was the guy who asked Linden to give the captaincy to Messier and Linden agreed to. Messier revealed later on in a Reddit AMA, that the only regret in his hockey career was accepting the captaincy from Linden. 
 

I think most of the Messier hate was because he came from the Rangers, a rival at the time and he was being paid a lot, who did very little. He was the 2nd highest paid player in the entire league at the time, and did absolutely nothing but coast during his time here. 

Fair point on Keenan 

Edited December 31, 2022 by Tanti9

[Tanti9]

Just now, -DLC- said:

You give him FAR too much credit. He was a lazy floater cashing in a pay cheque here....nothing more.

 

And his dirty crosscheck on Linden will forever mark him as a dirty POS here. I gave up on my team for the short time he was here.

Oh I’m not defending him, just saying there was some major silver linings that came out of it 

 

Yup he just floated here, but him being here lead to alot of good for the Canucks in the end 

[-DLC-]

3 minutes ago, Tanti9 said:

Oh I’m not defending him, just saying there was some major silver linings that came out of it 

 

Yup he just floated here, but him being here lead to alot of good for the Canucks in the end 

Nope...not attributing any of it to him. We sucked and he was a big part of why.

[Tanti9]

Just now, -DLC- said:

Nope...not attributing any of it to him. We sucked and he was a big part of why.

Our Suckage led to the twins! 

[-DLC-]

1 minute ago, Tanti9 said:

Our Suckage led to the twins! 

That wasn't anything to do with Messier....give credit to Brian Burke.

[JeremyCuddles]

I think there are a few reasons why this is blowing up more than it would if this were looked at in isolation. We have a history of Miller being an on ice emotional wreck. He is an emotional guy, to a fault. It's great when things are going well don't get me wrong. But can look really bad when things aren't going well. Also, we have the situation earlier in the season where Schenn was chatting with Miller too, they were clearly heated. And I am gonna be honest, if you're rubbing Schenn the wrong way that's all I need to not like how you conduct yourself. And the optics of Miller publically embarassing a goalie that is new to the team, again. Optics aren't great and makes the situation bigger than it needs to be.

 

Miller's emotions are very volatile. I am sure some people love it, although hypocritically I see those same people chastizing goalies (like Tuuka Rask) when they leave the ice. Smashing their sticks on the boards, but I digress. It's tough, you either support it or you don't. Personally. I am not a fan of how he handles adversity. I think it looks bad and it can create a very uncomfortable work environment. How would y'all feel to be working and you have a guy yelling and swearing at you when things don't go right? You're likely not gonna be saying things like "Oh well he's just passionate about work."

 

Again, I don't want to come off like I am right and everyone else is wrong. I love Miller when the team is succeeding and that emotion is directed more positively. I am just saying I don't like how it looks when things are going bad and he's going at teammates. Keeping a lid on your emotions is a big trait I value. It's why I loved Nazzy, Linden, and the Sedins. Hell, all our great leaders conducted themselves with dignity. I can't think of many that were this volatile towards teammates.

[Nuxfanabroad]

Whacking the net with the twig was a bit much..it reeks of lost composure. You unnecessarily give away ammo to the hyperactive journos(always circling Cdn waters for a scent of blood). They love ramping up these petty little issues, making their employment more useful/important(at least in their own estimations).

 

You also hand freebie material to opponents, for on-ice, trolling commentary. I don't imagine leaders like EP or BH throwing hissy fits in the panoptican, all-seeing - 24/7 world of today.

 

JTM shouldn't double down here. He oughta apologize to the teammate & quietly play it down in public. Last yr he displayed a lot of talent. Now we're again seeing a side that's perhaps exposing why TBay punted when they did.