http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=662735
Behind Henke, Rinne, Quick, Price, Anderson, and Brodeur, Miller finished 7th on aggregate:
He finished 4th on two lists, 5th on two more, and was absent entirely from the other six lists.
What do you make of this awkward systematic voting?
It is an argument that inspires passion in every rink, sports bar and living room where hockey is being played or is on the television. It can incite elevated heart rates in person and long discussion threads on the Internet.
Who is the best?
NHL.com and NHL Network gathered 10 writers and television personalities and asked that very question. Each was asked to rank their top eight in eight categories -- centers, left wings, right wings, defensemen, goalies, coaches, general managers and guys who wore the No. 8 sweater.
The voting, which took place for all eight segments in mid-February, is complete and the points have been tallied. Here is our answer to the simple question, who are the best in the NHL?
Note: A player received eight points for a first-place vote, seven for a second and so forth to one point for an eighth-place ranking (number of first-place votes in parenthesis).
Behind Henke, Rinne, Quick, Price, Anderson, and Brodeur, Miller finished 7th on aggregate:
7. Ryan Miller -- 18
If this project was done in conjunction with the launch of Windows 7, Miller would be higher on the list. He was the undisputed king of the position in 2010, after earning top goalie honors at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Vezina Trophy a few months later.
Since then, his numbers have slipped -- but to be fair, so has the team in front of him. This season has been particularly rocky, with his longtime coach fired and the Buffalo Sabres facing long odds to make the playoffs. At 32 years old, with four consecutive seasons with at least a .916 save percentage on his resume before this one, don't bet against a bounce back from Miller in the near future.
Woodley's take: "Admittedly aggressive, Miller feels he is at his best when he is out beyond the top of the blue paint, bucking a trend of more conservative initial depth throughout the League. Not afraid to throw out a poke check and challenge shooters, he relies on good reads to stay ahead of the play without giving up too much of that extra space, and his long reach helps when he does need to scramble back to a post without time for a proper recovery."
He finished 4th on two lists, 5th on two more, and was absent entirely from the other six lists.
What do you make of this awkward systematic voting?
