Why Rangers broadcaster ‘shed a tear’ in trips to Vancouver years before J.T. Miller trade
For the past several years, each New York Rangers trip to Vancouver brought mixed emotions for radio analyst, and former Blueshirts captain, Dave Maloney.
Sure, he loves this jewel of a city on the Canadian Pacific coast. Who doesn’t? But watching J.T. Miller play for the Canucks just about ruined each visit to Vancouver.
“When we did the broadcasts in Vancouver, I shed a tear every time I watched him play,” Maloney shared with Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. “He could’ve filled the void (with the Rangers). We’ve had players, nice players, senatorial-type players. But J.T. plays with a bite.”
What really got to Maloney was that Miller used to play for the Rangers. A first-round pick (No. 15 overall) by the Rangers in the 2011 draft, Miller came up through their system and developed into a solid pro before they traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the 2018 deadline.
Not long after, he was flipped to the Canucks and blossomed into an NHL star. Miller scored 30+ goals in three straights season and had an NHL career-high 103 points last season, two years removed from a 99-point campaign.
Not only skilled, but Miller plays with a ferocious intensity. And plenty of bite, as Maloney noted.
Though the Rangers had their fare share of success after trading Miller, including trips to the Eastern Conference Final in two of the past three seasons, they missed that edge, which Miller provides in abundance.
“I was huge J.T. Miller fan. Huge,” Maloney said. “As I’ve told him personally, he could’ve played in our generation, in any generation in the history of the game. He’s an old-school guy, he’s an old-school soul and he brings an element as his career has matured that this franchise has not had. It’s not had someone that has the ability to play the way he plays. He plays hard. He’s a top-3 player.”
So, it comes as no surprise that Maloney fully endorsed the trade two weeks ago that brought Miller back to Broadway for a package that included center Filip Chytil.
“Exactly what the Rangers needed,” Maloney said.
Related: Mike Keenan reveals he almost had second chance to coach Rangers
J.T. Miller learned to ‘be a pro’ in first tenure with Rangers
Miller’s impact on the ice and in the dressing room was immediate. He scored two goals in his Rangers return against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1 and he’s got four points (two goals, two assists) in five games. As important, others, like struggling center Mika Zibanejad, elevated their play after Miller’s arrival.
The Rangers are 3-2-0 since the trade, including an ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins eight days ago. They did rebound for a dramatic comeback win the next night against the Columbus Blue Jackets and sit 11th in the Eastern Conference at the 4 Nations Face-Off break. They are three points out of the second wild card.
Miller is part of Team USA at the 4 Nations, playing a bottom-six role. He and Rangers teammate Vincent Trocheck were an excellent penalty-killing tandem in a 6-1 win against Finland on Thursday, a game Miller helped set the tone for when he caused a melee in front of the Finns net on his first shift.
That swag and bite was also evidenced in his postgame comments when asked about Canadian fans at Bell Centre vociferously booing the U.S. National Anthem.
âI think we like it,â Miller told reporters. âNot politically but just in the sense of we know where weâre at, in Canada. I think that fires us up more than anything.â
There’s also no complaining from Miller about his role on a stacked U.S. roster. It’s just the level of maturity he’s reached at age 31. It’s something he struggled with as a young pro chafing under coaches John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault.
“When he first turned pro, he had to learn how to be a pro. And he did,” Maloney stated.
And now that pro is back where he belongs.
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