A Day Later, Still Happy

I don't know if I've ever confessed this before, but Ryan Miller makes me emotional.

I think he even stirs my heart more than Paul Gaustad.

Now before you go checking to make sure this is the right blog, let me be more specific. Goose is my favorite Sabre, bar none. Nothing makes me smile more than the mere mention of Paul Gaustad or his pretty face and hard-hitting play. However, he really only evokes one feeling in me - pure, unadulterated love.

Ryan Miller, on the other hand, has taken me on the complete roller coaster of hockey emotions. I get mad when he lets in a soft goal from the point. I get sad when I hear him talk about losing his cousin. I'm proud when I see all of the amazing charity work he does for kids in Buffalo. I'm amused when he gets snippy with the press.

However, if you ask anyone I know what emotion best describes how I feel about Ryan Miller, they will all say fierce protectiveness. I'm more protective about Ryan than I am about some members of my own family. When he got that shut-out against Atlanta after his cousin passed away, I'll admit that I cried. When other people (like my father) rush to criticize him, I rush to defend him - he's had a rough year personally, he's exhausted, our defense doesn't help. I always want to make sure he eats enough, too.

I have to fight the urge to send cookies to the arena for him.

As you can imagine, all the talk about Ryan not wanting to stay in Buffalo had me nervous. After all the emotion I had invested in him, it would have devastated me to hear that he didn't really love us back.

So, thank you, Ryan. Thanks for helping our fragile psyche one kind word and signed contract at a time. When you said you really love living here, it made me feel justified in believing in how genuine you are, and I know I'm not the only one.

As a Buffalo fan, all I ask is that my favorite athletes love my city with the same passion that I love watching them play. This offseason has made me proud to be a Sabres fan. First, Goose committed to us because we were the ones who gave him a chance. Then, Miller proved that he not only believes we can win it all but that we're a fanbase he'd love to win it all for.

Now that these two have validated me in my emotional attachment to them, I can only hope that Pommer follows suit. Ryan said that the signing of Goose was a big factor in his decision. It only makes sense that Jason would think the same about his roomie Goose and fellow Amerks-alum, Miller.

Only one more of the trio left...They're waiting for you to join the Sabre-snuggle, Pommer!