Without it, even Lindsey Vonn probably could launch him from a seesaw.
Here's the oddest thing, though. The U.S. goaltender might look skinny to you and me, even with all that equipment on, but not to NHL goal scorers, and not to shooters in this Olympic tournament.
To them, it's kind of a reverse "Shallow Hal" thing: He's a 5-foot dude who stands about 6 feet wide.
"A brick wall," former Flyers defenseman Luca Sbisa said after Miller stopped 19 shots in the United States' 2-0 win against Switzerland on Wednesday.
The United States is the only unbeaten left in these Olympics heading into this afternoon's semifinal game against Finland, and Miller's play has been a big part of the reason. He stoned Canada on Sunday, limited the Swiss to a single goal over two games, allowed one goal in a 6-1 victory over Norway. All told, he's allowed five goals on 90 shots, a save percentage that is second behind the guy on the other side today, Mikka Kiprusoff.
These two are alike in that they treat the job as a position more than an audition.
"If I'm doing my job, everything is going to look very boring," Miller said before the tournament began. "That's what I'm focused on. It's not about stealing a game. It's about playing at the level where everything is going to be boring and I'm going to get hit in the chest every time."
When he was reminded of those words yesterday, he smirked.
"I was joking," he said. "I'm
really weak through the 'S.' "
Over the past week, though, teams seem to be trying to shoot through him rather than past him. Sbisa's point-blank shot after the U.S. took a 1-0 lead Wednesday hit Miller so hard in the chest, it knocked the wind out of him.
A tape-to-tape cross-ice pass somehow finds the middle of his body, too.
