Appreciation thread for JT Miller

[AnthonyG]

6 hours ago, 4petesake said:

 

At no point did I say that his tantrums contributed to his success. I said that his ultra-competitiveness was part of what made him the elite player that he was. Ultra-competitiveness doesn’t always manifest itself at its most becoming and yes sometimes the occasional meltdown. I will agree with you that every player has to harness it to a degree.
 

This was your premise: 

“Honestly - have you watched any single athlete in any single sport completely lose their shit and somehow that ended up being a good thing for them?”

 

The specific meltdown a good thing? No, obviously not but the competitive fire - absolutely. You can go on YouTube and watch endless clips of Tom Brady losing his shit on teammates, his coaches, referees or anyone else that he feels hasn’t lived up to his expectations throughout his career. He seems reasonably successful, no?

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Miss Korea said:

 

You're still missing the point.  Tom Brady isn't at his best when he's losing his shit at his teammates.  That's what happens when he loses focus.  Nobody's saying Miller is inherently bad because he's emotional.  To bring this back to the tennis analogy, do you know how emotional and intense Novak Djokovic can become during matches?  He's fucking insane.... and he is by far the greatest player to ever live.

 

 

 

That's what he looks like after a win.  But here's what he looks during a loss:

 

 

Emotion in sports is a double-edged sword.  It can unlock a new level of intensity unmatched by rivals but it can also cause self-destruction and all I'm saying is that J.T. Miller suffered some of the negative effects of that edge in the past.

Okay so I somewhat agree with both of you but idk how we are comparing a single player sport to a team sport and the effect emotion has on success vs the other. I agree the range of emotion will have an impact on your performance, based on how well you channel it. In a team game where piss poor performances from the whole fuckin team around you that is out of your control is going to bring out frustrations because you need the whole team working together to win. Johnny Macs outburts are purely at himself and his own performance which can hinder OR enhance his performance based on how he channels it. JTs emotions showed nothing more than his passion for the teams success and his desire to win. Not anger and carelessness. The players around him arent paying attention and he was sick and tired of 1 losing and 2 no one knowing wtf to do. I love seeing a guy get pissed off and not just sit there and shrug his shoulders “oh well maybe next time” 

 

Its winning that has refined JT not Rick Tocchet. You look at the 2019-20 season the 2021-22 beginning of Boudreau and it was all tamed. The moment we started losing and having disastrous games where there multiple breakdowns and dog shit goaltending, the emotions began to show because 1 JT shows up every game to play meanwhile other guys are not dialled in and 2 its all out of his control and he cant do anything about it.

[RawkDrummer]

J.T. Miller's rookie cards are the best bang for your buck in the league.

 

Edited February 26 by RawkDrummer

[IBatch]

26 minutes ago, RawkDrummer said:

J.T. Miller's rookie cards are the best bang for your buck in the league.

 

Unlike Grezkty's mint card.   That 3.75 million value is about to tank...imagine 25 or so now becoming available! 

Edited February 26 by IBatch

[higgyfan]

10 hours ago, AngryGoose said:

Not gonna lie, JT taking Bains under his wing is pretty F’n awesome

 

He did the same with Pods and tried it with Jake, but to no avail.

 

Tocc aside, I think the key to JT's development is in his acceptance (and pride) in taking

on a leadership role, along with a sense of responsibility for the team's success.  It wasn't all

about JT anymore; me became we.

 

As soon as he started playing for the Canucks, he must have realized he had come across

a team that needed him; both as a player and a leader. By his 3rd season he became a +32g

player and under Tocc he has turned into a 40g ++100pt player.

 

Probably the best trade the Canucks have ever made.  Thank you Mr. Benning.

[4petesake]

1 hour ago, AnthonyG said:

 

Okay so I somewhat agree with both of you but idk how we are comparing a single player sport to a team sport and the effect emotion has on success vs the other. I agree the range of emotion will have an impact on your performance, based on how well you channel it. In a team game where piss poor performances from the whole fuckin team around you that is out of your control is going to bring out frustrations because you need the whole team working together to win. Johnny Macs outburts are purely at himself and his own performance which can hinder OR enhance his performance based on how he channels it. JTs emotions showed nothing more than his passion for the teams success and his desire to win. Not anger and carelessness. The players around him arent paying attention and he was sick and tired of 1 losing and 2 no one knowing wtf to do. I love seeing a guy get pissed off and not just sit there and shrug his shoulders “oh well maybe next time” 

 

Its winning that has refined JT not Rick Tocchet. You look at the 2019-20 season the 2021-22 beginning of Boudreau and it was all tamed. The moment we started losing and having disastrous games where there multiple breakdowns and dog shit goaltending, the emotions began to show because 1 JT shows up every game to play meanwhile other guys are not dialled in and 2 its all out of his control and he cant do anything about it.

 

That’s all true and why I referenced Tom Brady to bring it back to a team sport. To say that Tom Brady isn’t at his best when he loses it on teammates and coaches implies that he could be better. Since he’s been that way his entire career what does that even look like? 8 Super Bowls instead of 7? 6 Super Bowl MVPs instead of 5? It’s his compete level that stands out and makes him elite and I won’t second guess his success.

 

If JT leads the Canucks to a Stanley Cup and in the process throws a tantrum or two I won’t give a fiddler’s fart if we win because of or in spite of his attitude. I’ll always take the guy with a sense of urgency who says “come with me or get the hell out of my way.” I want a guy that won’t go quietly when the team is playing like shit.

 

 

[kilgore]

I've written already in the PGT, saying the quiet part out loud about Miller being the actual captain. Guess I could have saved it for in here.

 

I say that without any negativity towards Quinn being named the captain.  He will be a great captain one day.  But lets face it, Miller is the team's captain today.....despite what the letters say.  He was the captain not long after he arrived,, also despite what the letters said. Boudreau made a Freudian slip a few times calling Miller the captain. From his commitment to working hard on the ice, to his locker room presence, to his honest, non cookie cutter, media interviews. And yes, even to his passion for winning he displayed that was ugly for some fans but perfectly fine with me.  He had a lot to be frustrated about back then.

 

If it was a case of one prima donna player having a bad year as far as point production, even though the team was doing well.  And he opening was displaying his frustration when a bounce didn't go his way, that would be a jerk move. Selfish move.  But it was the opposite of that when Miller has been doing well, the team sucked, for the most part.  I always looked at his open displays of frustration about not being able to contribute that night to a win. For the team's success.  He already was proving up to his own contract numbers.  So i never saw that as "selfish".  The media created a "problem" surrounding Miller, where there was none.  Or at least it wasn't a big problem, and Tocchet has been able to help him based on his own experience.  But also, the team itself has improved under JR, so there is not much need for smashing sticks lately.

 

It was rather amusing to see the four amigos at that press conference...the potential captains. Or that's how the media was presenting it.  Demko, Petey, Hughes, Miller.  It was sooooooooooo painfully obvious who was the acting captain by a mile, and who giving the C to would be a formality. That was JT.  But for other reasons, one was simply politics, one was practicality, in regards to aging out, and one was helping our fabulous D star be cemented and feel wanted by ownership, and a big one was of course his own passion for winning and leading by example on the ice.  So it wasn't a "wrong" decision. But it was achingly clear before and after that presser, who best represented the team as a whole, today, and had the experience and yes, the maturity to lead the team at present.  I was hoping Miller would have been named captain, even if at some point in future the C was given to Hughes. But I get it. Less messy. And Quinn will grow into it well I have no doubt.

[Goose]

The attitude thing w JT (and people over analyzing it) has always bothered me.

 

 

The dude cares ALOT and wears his heart on his sleeve.

 

The team sucked ass for awhile and it was a frustrating situation.  His on ice body language is par for the course given that. Tocchett helped mentor him (and the team for that matter) and overall now + a winning atmosphere youve got a more professional attitude.  Channel that emotion into your compete and hes done that.

 

What matters the most to me, is how you treat your teammates.  Do you help pick them up and get them going?  Can you challenge them in productive ways?  From what Ive heard JT is all about the team, and do t bother with the Delia thing (that was 100% situational)

[Miss Korea]

6 hours ago, -dlc- said:

But you WERE talking about Tocchet last year. And suggested that JT got it together because of/after Tocchet. That it was a remarkable turnaround when it wasn't...it was him playing how he'd played previously.

 

So you've ignored his 99 point season and my point that he was already a great player....yes, he and the team unravelled as things fell apart. If anyone gave them a chance to pull things out of the funk, JT was the guy. His attitude reflected an unhappiness with the state of things and no one should've been complacent.

 

So don't bother. You won't convince me and you're back pedalling on your own initial points. When was he "untradeable"? That wasn't the case...the team had what they wanted in return for him and teams were trying to fleece them. They didn't bite. 

 

Yes, for a short period when our d was atrocious and coaching wasn't creating anything new, he struggled along with the team. But you've taken it out context to focus ON his attitude like it was a cause when really it was just a result of what was happening. Frustration set in and he wasn't happy. I'm glad someone had the nerve to react and didn't just settle in and offer excuses. He owned it.

 

You can't call him a leader on one end and then try to exonerate him of any responsibility for the poor performance last year.  "When the team was struggling, it was always someone else's fault.  Never his fault."  So rather than trying to give him credit for his maturation and growth this year, you're essentially saying there's no discernible difference between his play from last year and this year - the only difference being the team around him.  

 

J.T. Miller is not some sacred cow who can do no wrong, but you sure are treating him like one.  Get over yourself - it's fair to criticize him when he plays poorly.  There's nothing wrong with that.  The funny thing is that he has rarely played poorly this year - his mindset has clearly changed and he laser-focused every game.  But no - you can continue on with this silly narrative that Miller was the only good player and it was everyone else's fault the Canucks sucked last year.  

 

Why don't you just accept the fact that in the PAST... J.T. Miller had a miserable attitude at one point and it wasn't conducive to the team's success.  It's all in the past anyways.  But I'm not going to treat him the way you are like he's some perfect player who's never had ups and downs in his career.  Learn to accept criticism against your favourite player for once.  I'm not even dissing him.

Edited February 26 by Miss Korea

[spook007]

There is zero doubt, that the way JT plays, he is the one you go to war with...

QH is the wizard and so is Petey, but JT has it all in his locker... He lifts the team, when the chips are down...

We are so lucky to have him, and at $8M its a freaking steal... He may become an actor later in his contract, but he will have earned every cent he makes...

[IBatch]

11 hours ago, Miss Korea said:

 

You can't call him a leader on one end and then try to exonerate him of any responsibility for the poor performance last year.  "When the team was struggling, it was always someone else's fault.  Never his fault."  So rather than trying to give him credit for his maturation and growth this year, you're essentially saying there's no discernible difference between his play from last year and this year - the only difference being the team around him.  

 

J.T. Miller is not some sacred cow who can do no wrong, but you sure are treating him like one.  Get over yourself - it's fair to criticize him when he plays poorly.  There's nothing wrong with that.  The funny thing is that he has rarely played poorly this year - his mindset has clearly changed and he laser-focused every game.  But no - you can continue on with this silly narrative that Miller was the only good player and it was everyone else's fault the Canucks sucked last year.  

 

Why don't you just accept the fact that in the PAST... J.T. Miller had a miserable attitude at one point and it wasn't conducive to the team's success.  It's all in the past anyways.  But I'm not going to treat him the way you are like he's some perfect player who's never had ups and downs in his career.  Learn to accept criticism against your favourite player for once.  I'm not even dissing him.

It's a little unfortunate,  how a few comments to the media and a couple shows of emotion on the ice can rattle so many Canuck fans, media as well, but they are also part of the problem (Bieksa of course, defended Miller, didn't see any issue with "goal-gate" anyways).   The entire team was playing poorly.   And JT Miller had his worst stretch of hockey the first 15 games or so, before it was satisfactory.    Meanwhile,  EP's had half a dozen blocks of bad games, no show hockey and gets a pass, or has really until recently when a report comes out that he's got an open contract at 12 million on the table (better not include any clauses).   JT Miller came to us at 26...EP will be 26 in November.    50% more for our second string center (that's how Tochett plays them at home, Miller gets the McDavids /McKinnon's/Kuzherovs, so EP doesn't need too), not that EP couldn't be our first line center either .. together Miller takes the draws.   Sure the expectation is that he takes over at some point, and the teams giving him everyone but Brock (the Lotto line was terrible under Green his final season, can see why they waited so long to give it another go ).   Also i'm sure we are all well aware of the criticism and at times, actual abuse Brock was taking on this site (and guess who Miller "had" to carry).    A couple folks defended him.  

 

 Miller's criticism started/ amped up, because he kicked butt and scored 99 points.     Best individual play i've seen with this forward group, JT Miller did a few games before Green was fired.   Team was 2-1 last 3, fired (good call),  only Miller and Garland showed up to play.   Put the team on his back under Bruce, 120 point pace.  Played with virtually everyone that year too.   Brock was part of a couple combo's but was also in the doghouse off and on.   Only Miller didn't get 3rd line duties, at one point EP was playing with Hogs and Podz on the 3rd line to get him going ... over 100 minutes, that gets lost.    

 

 

Getting this team to commit to backchecking as a group has been great to see.    And for me,  and Miller, only thing that pissed me off were his high danger passes out of our own zone, especially when there were other options to get it out safely.   Like he was doing it on purpose almost.    And because he was doing it, so were others.   It's not hard to see Tochett's non-negotiable's.    And have zero issue with Miller lipping off a bit to the media.   They more then deserve it, even if fans take it personally when he says stuff like he's only cares what the players in the room feel about him (excluding the fanbase),  it's refreshing.  

 

What's not refreshing, is a McDavid interview.  

 

Edit;  Millers "under the radar" play, well his first season, 17th in Hart votes, and 7Th best center.   Selke voted his first 3 as well.   Third year Hart votes, and 7th again.

 

It's not like the rest of the league is completely blind to what we have.   Should have had an invite to the all-star game twice already, that's semantics because some bad team is sending their version of a 50 point Horvat.    At 7th best center in the league, you go to the all-star game.   This year, fully expecting a strong push for the Hart, Selke and top five.   We are so lucky to have this guy on the team.    Like Bruce's Bump, it's already looking like he's putting the team on his back while we dealt with our recent losing streak.    Almost did it in MIN until the bizzare happened.   Hat trick, up 5-2.   There isn't a team in the league regardless of their cycle, that wouldn't love to have him.   

Edited February 27 by IBatch

[IBatch]

10 hours ago, spook007 said:

There is zero doubt, that the way JT plays, he is the one you go to war with...

QH is the wizard and so is Petey, but JT has it all in his locker... He lifts the team, when the chips are down...

We are so lucky to have him, and at $8M its a freaking steal... He may become an actor later in his contract, but he will have earned every cent he makes...

You bet.   Miller would be the first guy i'd pick to share a foxhole with.   Sergeant Rock.  EPs somewhere on the line ready to go but I don't speak Swedish.   QHs is in his bunker making the plays. 

[Hairy Kneel]

Miller is a natural leader. The kind of leader that doesn't need the C to prove it. He's a dad going to work everyday getting shit done. He's a pick-up truck and ham-sandwich guy happily driving home from work everyday. And quietly goes about his business.  

He's like that sonofabitch foreman at work that everyone hates but they all know they need him to get the job done. Because yeah sometimes he wears that stuff on his sleeves and says it like it is. Passion.

 

I hope he announces our first game playoff roster.

[Leithal]

On 2/26/2024 at 4:36 PM, Miss Korea said:

 

You can't call him a leader on one end and then try to exonerate him of any responsibility for the poor performance last year.  "When the team was struggling, it was always someone else's fault.  Never his fault."  So rather than trying to give him credit for his maturation and growth this year, you're essentially saying there's no discernible difference between his play from last year and this year - the only difference being the team around him.  

 

J.T. Miller is not some sacred cow who can do no wrong, but you sure are treating him like one.  Get over yourself - it's fair to criticize him when he plays poorly.  There's nothing wrong with that.  The funny thing is that he has rarely played poorly this year - his mindset has clearly changed and he laser-focused every game.  But no - you can continue on with this silly narrative that Miller was the only good player and it was everyone else's fault the Canucks sucked last year.  

 

Why don't you just accept the fact that in the PAST... J.T. Miller had a miserable attitude at one point and it wasn't conducive to the team's success.  It's all in the past anyways.  But I'm not going to treat him the way you are like he's some perfect player who's never had ups and downs in his career.  Learn to accept criticism against your favourite player for once.  I'm not even dissing him.

JT has been one of our best players consistently since his arrival. Obviously numbers fluctuate year to year based on team performance.

I understand what your trying to say but it really doesn't make sense, him being like .75 ppg for 30-40 games over several years is impressive if anything.

I also get the feeling you think seeing clips of JT being emotional means he is bad for the room. None of us know how the room actually is and how players feel about each others antics. You can have an opinion on how it is being taken my the other players but you don't really know. Also like deb was saying him being pissed off during a dark period is more a reflection on leadership than being a problem in my opinion. 

This is big boy hockey I don't think a competitor being firey and angry when things arnt going well is a bad thing.

Edited February 28 by Leithal

[McIlhargey the Lesser]

I am here for this!!

[D.B Cooper]

Did I just hear Jeff fucking Carter?   
I had no idea he was still playing 

Edited February 28 by D.B Cooper
Oops! Wrong thread!!

[Devron]

On 2/25/2024 at 12:39 PM, Bob Long said:

Remember when people thought Tampa fleeced us?

Idiots

[Devron]

On 2/25/2024 at 1:50 PM, Hammertime said:

What are you talking about? Where was he? Untradable? Worst days? Nonsense!

 

 

He's done nothing but perform since day one. There have been ups and higher ups. Untradable is the dumbest narrative I've ever heard. 

Look at that primary assists ratio. Unreal 

[Jaimito]

4 hours ago, D.B Cooper said:

Did I just hear Jeff fucking Carter?   
I had no idea he was still playing 

Me too. No wonder pens are not going anywhere.   A roster of dinosaurs. 

[Jaimito]

3 hours ago, Devron said:

Idiots

 

It wasn't long ago when there are many posters on CDC saying Nux shouldn't have signed the bum instead of Bo, poor body language, smacking the net on Delia, toxic in the locker room etc.  Tons of posters even want to get rid of him before this season, so that his new contract doesn't kick in.  I wonder where they are now. I bet they are same posters that complaining about EP now.   

Edited February 28 by Jaimito

[HKSR]

7 hours ago, Jaimito said:

 

It wasn't long ago when there are many posters on CDC saying Nux shouldn't have signed the bum instead of Bo, poor body language, smacking the net on Delia, toxic in the locker room etc.  Tons of posters even want to get rid of him before this season, so that his new contract doesn't kick in.  I wonder where they are now. I bet they are same posters that complaining about EP now.   

Funny enough, I was a huge Miller supporter... but I'm not of Petey.  

[Miss Korea]

13 hours ago, Jaimito said:

 

It wasn't long ago when there are many posters on CDC saying Nux shouldn't have signed the bum instead of Bo, poor body language, smacking the net on Delia, toxic in the locker room etc.  Tons of posters even want to get rid of him before this season, so that his new contract doesn't kick in.  I wonder where they are now. I bet they are same posters that complaining about EP now.   

 

I think the same people who support Miller are knocking on Petey.  They don't realize their own hypocrisy.

[Hammertime]

It all depends on Pete. If he wants to win or if he wants the bag. Or maybe he just wants to play somewhere else thinking he can have both. In any case it doesn't matter where he goes if he has any pride fish bowl or no it's on him to live up to the deal he signs. 12 million is an awful lot of pressure.   

[Jaimito]

Elite company.  On yr 1 of his new contract.  

 

 

[erkayloomeh]

On 2/25/2024 at 1:39 PM, Miss Korea said:

I think it's important to compare where he was during the worst days to where he is at today.  The turnaround has been truly remarkable.  He has matured and improved his game to a whole other level, and he's done so at an age nobody expected.  He has gone from being untradeable to being... untradeable.

I didn't even agree with the criticism he got before the so called turnaround. 

He was severely under appreciated around here. 

[Jaimito]

Dp

Edited February 29 by Jaimito