J.T. Miller was a polarizing figure but he has won over Canucks fans
He came to Vancouver in a controversial trade and the Canucks’ star forward was the subject of intense trade rumours for nearly a year and a half.
It took some time for him to get the love from the entire fan base.
But now, finally, that appears to be changing for J.T. Miller.
Since he arrived in Vancouver nearly five years ago, no Canucks player has tallied more points than Miller. He led the team in scoring during his first season with the team (2019-20) and had a team-high 99 points in 2021-22.
J.T. Miller leads all Canucks in scoring since the start of the 2019-20 season (NHL.com)
And with 11 games left in the regular season, it appears that Miller will be Vancouver’s top scorer once again. Miller joined elite company on Saturday when he scored his 90th point of the season. He joins Pavel Bure, Henrik Sedin, and Markus Naslund as the only Canucks players with multiple 90+ point seasons.
He ranks 16th all-time in Canucks scoring, and is set to soon pass Brendan Morrison and Ryan Kesler on the all-time list.
So it does seem unusual that it took this long for Miller to win everyone over.
Some of the criticism Miller has received was warranted, but much of it was out of his control.
Miller didn’t ask to be traded, in what was widely seen as a questionable deal by former GM Jim Benning at the 2019 draft. The Canucks gave up a first-round draft pick in an effort to jumpstart the rebuild. It was one of many impatient moves made by Benning and was heavily criticized.
Except Benning got this one right.
Miller came to Vancouver as a winger but has proven himself at centre, while not losing his physical edge.
Truth be told, the problem with winning everyone over had more to do with the team than Miller. After quick success in 2019-20, Vancouver went back into the tank, even with Miller excelling offensively. So when his contract was expiring, many fans wanted him traded for future assets.
Trade rumours followed Miller for a year and a half, right up until his no-movement clause kicked in last year.
Credit to Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin, and the Canucks management team, because not only has Miller been sensational this season, but more importantly, the team is good too.
We’ll see how Miller’s seven-year contract ages, but the deal makes a whole lot more sense now that it lines up with Vancouver’s contention window — something nobody saw coming a year ago.
And now it seems that the 31-year-old is finally getting his due from the entire fanbase.
Canucks fans have been emulating Rogers Arena PA announcer Al Murdoch for a while now this season, by copying his cadence when announcing the star forward’s name. And on Saturday, they chanted his name.
It’s not the first time Canucks fans have done it, but it was the loudest. And Miller, who previously denied hearing the fans chant his name, now seems ready to openly receive the love.
Miller’s wife Natalie posted a video to Instagram showing the couple’s daughter listening to the chants for her dad. The moment touched J.T.
“That was pretty cool. My wife was telling me how special that was,” Miller told reporters on Sunday. “She couldn’t really believe what was going on. I never thought I’d be in a situation where that’d be possible. That was a special moment for her.”
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With the Canucks on the verge of clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2020, everyone is beginning to imagine what playoff hockey will be like at Rogers Arena. It’s something we haven’t seen in the city in nine years.
“It’s a passionate fan base. We wouldn’t want that any other way. This is the fun time of year, not just for us, but for the fans in the city. They haven’t had that in a while here. It’s gonna be a fun time.”