It’s no secret Ryan Miller is in the latter portion of his NHL career.
But the COVID-19 pandemic could shorten it even more.
The Anaheim Ducks netminder has put together quite the career. From his MVP performance in the United States’ gold medal-winning performance in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver to his countless NHL records, there’s not much Miller hasn’t accomplished.
But time is running thin, and the coronavirus outbreak certainly isn’t helping. In fact, the virus is causing the 39-year-old to contemplate retirement.
“I mean the desire is there, but there’s going to be a lot of factors. First of all, we’re all going to have to address this new normal. What that means for sports and life — and wrapped up in that is family and how family is going to need to be taken care of during this time,” Miller told Sportsnet’s Gene Principe on Sunday, as transcribed by TheScore. “There’s a lot of talk here in California that schools are not going to be fully in session possibly into next year, that changes the dynamic around the house and what needs to happen and what’s important.”
But Miller isn’t rushing a decision. At least, not yet.
“Hockey is very important to me but I’m trying to be realistic,” he said. “I’m at the tail end of a long career and I would love to play so I’m going to hum and haw for you guys. I really like to play, it’s a lot of fun, but I really want to see where things end up.”
"Hockey is very important to me but I'm trying to be realistic."@RyanMiller3039 spoke to @GenePrincipe about his desire to keep playing after this season, chasing Dominik Hasek on the all-time wins list, and much more.
Full chat ➡️ https://t.co/UeoFoHmDA3 pic.twitter.com/wuijKXbb7m
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 17, 2020
We certainly hope this isn’t the way Miller ends his illustrious NHL career. But ultimately, there is more to life than hockey.
