BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
When Aaron Miller first retired as a professional hockey player, he thought he was going to golf and fish the rest of his life.
“But that didn’t work out,” stated Miller, a native of Buffalo, NY.
Today, the former National Hockey League defenseman lives and works in the Burlington, VT area.
“I got together with a buddy and went into business with Buffalo Wild Wings,” said the 46 year-old Miller, who played in parts or all of 14 seasons in the NHL (1993-2008) with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks. “I’ve got one restaurant in Burlington and now own five others, with one of them in the Waterbury, Conn. area.
“It was an interesting change in my life going from playing hockey and then getting into the business world.”
Hockey has played a big part in Miller’s life. He began playing the game long before he ever thought of an NHL career.
“I was five when I began skating,” recalled Miller, who was drafted 88th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1989 NHL Draft. “I played my entire youth hockey career with the Buffalo Regals.
“I was a part of teams that won state championships. And a lot of guys I played with went on to play Division I and III college hockey.
“As I got older I played some hockey at St. Francis High School and then played some junior hockey for a couple of seasons with the Niagara Scenics (today known as the Buffalo Jr. Sabres).
“It was when I got to the Scenics that I began to realize that I could play hockey as a competitive level. We played a 60-game schedule, travelled quite a bit and played against some good competition.
“Scouts began coming around and before I knew it I was off to college playing for the University of Vermont.”
It was the right move for Miller. After four seasons at Vermont Miller had 11 goals and 62 points in 122 games. He was named to the ECAC First All-Star team in 1993, he same year he was named to the NCAA East Second All-American Team.
Miller would later be named to Vermont’s All-Time Men’s Hockey Team. He graduated from Vermont with a business degree.
When talking about youth hockey the first thing Miller thinks about is a particular rink he occupied a great deal in.
“Holiday Twin Rinks,” stated Miller. “I spent so much time at that rink.
“I spent at least 10 hours each Saturday and Sunday when I was younger at that rink. It never seemed like work to me.”
Although he was a defenseman in college and the pro ranks, Miller began as a forward.
“I was a forward until my sophomore year, “ said Miller. “I had a chance that year to make the varsity team at S. Francis.
“The best way I was going to make it was by being a defenseman. That was the smartest thing I ever did.”
Although he never played on a Stanley Cup winning team, Miller has always felt that the best part of his hockey career came when he was representing Team USA in International play.
“Always representing the United States in International play was a great thrill,” concluded Miller. “Playing on the silver medal winning team in the 2002 Winter Olympics was great.
“It was all part of a great ride for me. One which I will never forget.”
(University of Vermont photo)
