By: Mike Sullivan | Follow me on Twitter: @_MikeSullivan
Who doesn’t love a rough and tough left-winger like Jay Miller? When thinking of a big bad Bruins organization, you’ll always think of the prominent players who fit that description. However, one guy who seems to fly under the radar would be Jay Miller.
The Massachusetts native spent four seasons with the Boston Bruins organization from 1985-1989. He racked up far more penalty minutes than he ever made points. Miller was known as a power forward left winger who would punish opponents with his 6’2″, 210-pound frame. A little bit similar to an older-aged Milan Lucic minus the point production, but the role was almost identical. He also sported a fantastic mustache.
Born in Natick, Massachusetts, Miller grew up as a New England boy playing college hockey at the University of New Hampshire. He was drafted 66th overall by the Quebec Nordiques before signing with Boston as a free agent, shipping himself back to Boston. An opportunity I’m sure he was ecstatic about.
In the 1987-1988 season, Jay Miller had 304 penalty minutes and 19 points in 78 games. During playoffs that same year, Miller produced zero points and 124 penalty minutes in 12 games. That’s absolutely insane. Just over an average of 10 penalty minutes a game. Tough to produce offensively when you’re spending that much time in the penalty box, but hey, that’s his role, and he damn played it well.
In January of 1989, Jay Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Kings to play a brutal enforcer role, which the Kings needed dearly. In addition, the Kings needed a forward to be willing to protect its players, one player, in particular, being Wayne Gretzky.
Jay Miller called it a career and retired in 1992. During his career, he managed to rack up quite the stat line. He played in 446 games, racking up 40 goals, 44 assists, and 84 points. Of course, those are numbers some players produce in one season alone, but again, his role was to be an enforcer, so point production was secondary. After all, was said and done, he managed to spend 1,723 minutes in the penalty box! Leaving fans with plenty of memories exemplifying big hits and massive brawls. Many revolve around rival John Kordic.
Since retirement, Jay Miller has opened a restaurant in Bourne, Massachusetts, called the Courtyard Restaurant and Pub, treating his fans to a nice meal, beer and memories. If you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend a trip to the restaurant and bar the next time you cross the bridge into Cape Cod.
We’re now at 29 days until the regular season puck drop. I know pre-season starts much earlier. September 24th against the Philadelphia Flyers, to be exact, but the countdown is for the regular season. When the games matter. So, get ready for cold weather, Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley, grab a blanket, and huddle around the TV with the family and friends to watch another season of Boston Bruins hockey. There are plenty of storylines and possibilities heading into the year, and I couldn’t be more excited. 29 days. Let’s go!
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