Hi, Ryan :) LOVE the blog! Thanks for doing this. I hope you'll continue it on your site once you're done here at Maxim. So here is my question: Johnny Liles: UFA. Drew Miller: UFA. is there a possibility of seeing both your boys in blue and gold next season? it might be the greatest thing ever! – Maal

Thanks for the note... I am planning on blogging on my site a little bit to see how it goes once we get it up and running at 100 percent, but I don’t know if I have it in me to be a full time blogger. As for playing alongside my brother and JM Liles, my brother is actually an RFA (Restricted Free Agent), which means Anaheim would only have to give him a qualifying offer to retain his rights. I expect that the Ducks will keep him around. He is way too good and way too smart a  player to let slip away at 24 years old. John Michael is free to do as he pleases come July 1, and he would fit in great where we once had Brian Campbell. JM is a great skater and power play guy, just like Brian. We will see. John is in a great position to make a decision for himself and he has earned that right. We will have to wait to see how it plays out. A new coach in Colorado is a factor now.


What is your favorite road trip story? Is there one incident (or more) that sticks out from your time on the road? Thanks Ryan—good luck next season! – Allie

My favorite story to tell isn’t a favorite moment, but a good story. We were on the bus home with the Rochester team on the way home from Albany after a game. It was snowing like crazy and the bus driver was driving like it wasn’t. The roads were completely covered with snow, and from time to time the back end of the bus would wiggle. We all were a little nervous about that and we even commented on how if we were sliding and hit a dry patch we could go off the road. Well, we start to wiggle again and this time the whole back end swings and we are traveling down the highway completely perpendicular. I could see out the side window the direction we should have been going. In front of me is Geoff Peters (Andrew’s brother) screaming “Bring it back, buddy!” Somehow the bus driver brings it back and he give a fist pump and keeps driving.


Hi, Ryan, my son Brooks is 8 and one of your biggest fans (although you're tied with Marc-Andre Fleury for his favorite—go Pens!) He's played hockey since he was 4 and loves the game, but he can't wait to start back in the fall because he'll finally get to play goal full time. When did you know you wanted to be a goalie and what advice would you give him? – Beth Ann

Your son is the same age I was when I started playing goalie full time. My family was living in California at the time while my dad was working for Symantec near San Jose. I had always been very interested in goaltending, but it took a sitdown strike to get what I wanted. My father was the coach of our mite team, and when he called my line I stayed on the bench. He asked if I was hurt or if I was sick—my answer was I wanted to be a goalie. We made a deal after the game that if I scored three goals the next game and had something like three assists, I could try goalie. That backfired on him and I got to try it out. I am actually glad I had to wait it out. I got a chance to learn how to skate and play the game before going into the net. As a young player, just have fun. The basics are always to just get in the way of the puck. If he really is enjoying it a few years from now, then try some hockey schools. No rush.


Ryan, love this blog. It's almost like listening to a conversation rather than reading. I hear that hockey players are superstitious. I see some things that you do like circle before you leave the ice. Is it true or is just out of habit? – JB

It started in college, where two of my teammates would wait on either side of the bench gate leading to our locker room. I liked being last and it started off smoothly enough, but by midseason everyone had a routine, secret handshake or tap on the shin pads for the guys who waited by the gate. I just timed it so that I would skate off until that got ruined everytime by someone taking too long, so it turned into a loop. From there, it just kind of stuck. The funny part is, for all my routines I look insane and the purpose of routines is to eliminate overthinking. It's what may be keeping me sane.

I'm really enjoying reading your opinions on the playoffs—great work! As someone who hopes to start playing hockey in the near future, how did you convince your parents to let you start playing? Also, I've been playing some pick-up games, and love playing both goalie and forward—which would you suggest starting off with? – Riley

In my family, it wasn’t about convincing. We were introduced to the game and encouraged to play. I was being carried around public skating when I was barely out of the hospital as a baby. I know that my family is probably not the norm when it comes to things like this, so my suggestion is to tell your parents that you enjoy hockey. You have to decide whether you want to be competitive or if you just want the recreational side. I know that when I finish playing professionally, the goal pads won’t be going back on and I will be a forward. For the fun of it. I say if you are new to the game, play forward to get better at skating and reading the game from that perspective because it will come in handy if you choose to be a goalie.


There is all kinds of talk about the refs favoring the NHL's "stars" and throwing penalties around to protect them. Do you agree or disagree? - Frank

To a point, I would agree. But I would also point out that they tend to have the puck more and have the skill to avoid most plays meant to keep them from scoring, so they end up taking a lot of abuse because the person with the puck gets the most attention.

Tune in to Stretch on Maxim Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio each Wednesday morning at 11am ET for NHL All-Star goalie Ryan Miller's weekly Stanley Cup Playoffs report.

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