"This is the Olympics," Miller said. "There are more people, from different walks of life, paying attention to hockey. I'm trying to roll with it because I think it's good for the game. People are interested. If they're interested in me, then why not open up a little bit, because we might gain another young person who enjoys hockey, and we might grow our sport."
And so Miller has, with good humor, tolerated questions about his girlfriend (actress Noureen DeWulf from Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) and dealt with being recognized by sharp-eyed Canadian fans on the street.
"It's part of the responsibility," Miller said. "We are kind of a cult sport in America. In Canada, it's life. In the U.S., you get south and toward the central states, it's nonexistent. It's not even an afterthought. You have to search for it. These are the moments when you have the country's attention, and I just try to look at it that way.
"People want to know what my personality is. People are asking me about my girlfriend. That's what people nowadays want to know, I guess. I'm someone who has tried to be a little more private, but I'm trying to be a little more open and a little more of a product, I guess."
The attention has not affected Miller's performance. He has been the anchor of an American team that will play Finland in the semifinal of this thrilling hockey tournament. Miller, whose day job is with the small-market Buffalo Sabres, held favored Team Canada down in a 5-3 U.S. win Sunday and shut out the Swiss in a 2-0 quarterfinal win.
A win today would set up a likely gold-medal showdown with Canada again on Sunday afternoon. Canada plays Slovakia at 9:30 tonight.
Slovakia upset defending Olympic champion Sweden, 4-3, late Wednesday night. Tomas Kopecky scored the decisive goal in the third period.
