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Ex-Canucks star J.T. Miller is back and has lots of nice things to say about Vancouver

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
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Oct 28 2025, 10:07 pm
Ex-Canucks star J.T. Miller is back and has lots of nice things to say about Vancouver
Timothy T. Ludwig/Imagn Images

Back in town for the first time since he was traded, J.T. Miller couldn’t say enough nice things about his time with the Vancouver Canucks.

“Definitely brought back a lot of feelings when we landed at the airport,” Miller admitted when speaking with reporters at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

Miller has played against the Canucks since being traded to the New York Rangers, but that came last March at Madison Square Garden. He knows it’s going to be a completely different atmosphere in front of Canucks fans.

“It’s going to be emotional for me, no doubt. Just trying to worry about our task at hand for the Rangers. I know that emotion’s going to be there. Just trying to use it to the best of my ability as I can. Trying to stay focused.”

The 32-year-old didn’t care to guess what the reception would be like for him, but that will be something interesting to monitor.

Miller played 404 regular-season games in a Canucks uniform, ranking 12th all-time in scoring with 437 points. Only Pavel Bure (1.12) has a better points-per-game average than Miller (1.08) in Canucks history.

But of course it didn’t end well in Vancouver. The feud between Miller and Pettersson tore last season’s team apart, setting the franchise back significantly.

Miller didn’t want to relive that, understandably, choosing instead to focus on the good times.

“A lot of good memories here. Some of my best friends still play on the other side. The way that the city treated myself and my family, it’s something we’ll never forget… definitely a special place.”

Miller noted the playoff games he played at Rogers Arena in 2024 as a highlight, and clearly those were the best moments in an otherwise rocky six years for the organization during his tenure.

“There was a lot of ups and downs while I was here; it’s not like it was smooth sailing the whole time, you know. I embrace who I am as a human, I like who I am as a person and a player, and emotion comes with that.”

While Miller didn’t speak about Pettersson directly, that’s obviously the elephant in the room.

“You can’t go back and change anything,” Miller said. “I’m not going to sit here and dwell on how it ended. I didn’t expect that to be pretty, and it wasn’t. Definitely still a lot of friendships and a lot of good memories, and a lot of good things that came from that experience.”

“At the end of the day, it was the best for both sides.”

Miller mentioned meeting up with friends in the city, and he was spotted at a local restaurant with Adam Foote and Quinn Hughes on Monday. His wife, Natalie, and two daughters also made the trip.

“I never said a bad thing about Vancouver when I left. 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.”

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