Former Canucks center J.T. Miller of the New York Rangers returns to Rogers Arena to face his former team on Tuesday night for the first time since being traded in late January.
After the morning skate he talked about his time in Vancouver.
“The way that the city treated myself and my family, it’s something we’ll never forget,” he said.
His wife and two daughters made the trip into town for this game and to see old friends and acquaintances.
“I never said a bad thing about Vancouver when I left,” he added. “I loved it here. It was like home away from home. The way they’ve treated myself and my family is something we’ll always cherish, and the reason the whole family came back.”
Miller admitted it would be an emotional night. A tribute video is expected, and once it’s over, he plans to immediately get back to business. His Rangers are off to a slow start at 3-5-and-2, tied for last in the Eastern Conference.
Miller has faced the Canucks once since being traded on January 31st in a multi-asset deal. The Rangers won the March 22nd game at Madison Square Garden 5-3 with Miller picking up and empty-net goal and an assist. He also gave Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes a solid bump in corner of the Canucks zone after a whistle. Nothing came of it.
Hughes will not be in the line-up tonight due to a lower body injury.
Miller was better than a point-a-game player with the Canucks, with 437 in 404 games played. He has the second best point-per-game number, 1.08, in franchise history, only surpassed by Pavel Bure.
“A lot of good memories here. Some of my best friends still play on the other side,” Miller said Tuesday morning.
It won’t matter once the puck drops.
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