Posts Tagged ‘Rob Miller’

Much like the interview I did with Chris Holmes a few weeks ago, here are a few snippets from a phone interview I conducted with Aces captain Rob Miller yesterday that won’t be making it into my piece.

The full article, which will focus on Miller’s season and what the future holds for him, will be up sometime next week.

Aces Over Brooklyn- From your point of view, as a player and a coach, was there anything that you would have done differently from coach Firriolo in the EPHL finals against the Jersey Rockhoppers?

Things may be a bit slow right now with both the Aces and the EPHL trying to find answers on several different questions, but at Aces Over Brooklyn, I will continue to bring you as much information about the team and the league as possible.

Over the next week, I’ll be interviewing both B.J. Kuper and team captain Rob Miller.

Originally tabbed as a defensive/pest-like player, Kuper turned into a solid offensive performer as well, scoring 16 goals and 42 points and was a part of one of the team’s much successful lines, teaming with other fan favorites Eric Frank and Jesse Felten. In addition, he was one of only three players on the team to play in all 49 games this season.

While Aces captain Rob Miller only managed to skate in 22 games due to a nasty hand injury, he still scored 23 points and was a leader in the clubhouse. During his time on the shelf, he even served as the team’s assistant coach.

Rob Miller may be the Brooklyn Aces captain and a player respected for his grit and intelligence on and off the ice today, but six seasons ago, during the 2002-2003 season, he was a wide-eyed 23-year-old playing his first season of professional hockey with the Jacksonville Barracudas of the ACHL.

It was there where he first met Ron Duguay.

Scoring 45 points in 60 games that season, it still ranks as Miller’s best as a professional. Nevertheless, the memories he shared with Duguay are another big reason why he still smiles when discussing his rookie season.

“He was my coach that year and we played together,” said Miller. “He’s such a good guy.”

Playing six games with Miller that season, Duguayhis best Reggie Dunlop impersonation and scored four points as a player-coach, despite formally retiring in 1992. While those numbers alone are far from his 30-goal days with the Red Wings and Rangers, the charismatic forward, then 45 years old, proved he still had some gas left in his tank.

For over two months, Brooklyn Aces defenseman Rob Miller bode his time.

On the shelf with a broken hand, Miller watched from behind the bench as his team began to struggle for the first time all season. Serving as the team’s assistant coach during that span, Miller was unable to be the impact player he was before the injury, causing the intense stare he usually sports to become downright scary.

He knew he had something to prove.

Now back in the lineup, Miller is ready to lead the Aces into the playoffs.

In this interview with Aces Over Brooklyn less than an hour before his first game back with the team, Miller talks about his expectations for the rest of the season and the long road back to the ice.

Check it out!

As always, you can listen directly here at:
http://media.switchpod.com//users/patrickhickeyjr1/AcesOverBrooklynPodcastRobMillerInterview311.mp3

Or you can download the file on to your I-Pod or I-Phone here:

According to a press release by the EPHL, the Brooklyn Aces have waived forward Matt McGilvray and activated defenseman Rob Miller from injured reserve.

In eight games with Brooklyn this season, McGilvray scored three goals and was a +2.

Activated from injured reserve, Miller will add some of the toughness the team has lacked since former captain Chad Wilcox went down with an injured knee last month.

In just 11 games with Brooklyn this season, Miller was an offensive presence as well, scoring 10 points and going a more than solid +14.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Scoring 10 points in his 11 games this season, Brooklyn Aces defenseman Rob Miller proved all the critics wrong who thought the 29-year-old was crazy for resuming his professional hockey career after retiring at 26 and going behind the bench.

He soon suffered a hand injury that has kept him out of the lineup since then, but is expected back by the end of the month to help fortify the team’s blue line, just in time for the playoff run.

In this almost hour-long interview, ironically done with my Basic Journalism students at Kingsborough Community College last month, Miller opens up about his career in hockey and his future.

For hardcore Aces fans, this is the quintessential Miller interview and one where you’ll get the best idea of how much he loves the sport and who he is as a person. For newer fans, this is an amazing inside look into a person that has dedicated his life to one of the greatest games in the world.

By Toni S. Johnson, edited by Patrick Hickey Jr.

Last weekend, at the Broadway play “Speed the Plow,” sat a handsome Clark Kent character, glasses poised, hair immaculately combed and casually dressed in jeans and a classic button up.

His smile was noticeable and his infectious laugh was full of energy.

“Life in the movie business is like the beginning of a new love affair; it’s full of new surprises and you’re constantly getting f****d,” reads the playbill.

Ironically, if you take the same wit and personality that gentleman possessed and put a pair of ice skates on him, give him a hockey stick and throw him on the ice, your superman will turn into the Brooklyn Aces veteran defenseman, Rob Miller.

But don’t let the Clark Kent look fool you.

Injuries are one thing you don’t want to be dealing with when you play the Danbury Mad Hatters.

Already without steady blue liner Rob Miller and speedy forward Tony Resendes, the Aces may be without veteran D-man Nick Grove and captain Chad Wilcox for tonight’s game.

It’s a rough situation and a situation Aces head coach Chris Firriolo isn’t happy about.

“The gang is banged up,” he said after last night’s 6-1 over the Rockhoppers. “I don’t want to think about it until tomorrow. It’s going to be tough.”

On a positive note, despite those injuries to their defense, Firriolo is thrilled with the play of Mike Thomson and Ian McLoughlin, two forwards who have gone to the blue line and stepped up over the past 10 games.

“I think they’re on their way to becoming two of the best defensemen in the league,” he said last night. “I really believe that. They move the puck extremely well and look good on the powerplay. If you ask me, aside from Miro Recicar, they were probably the MVPs of tonight’s game.”

Despite beating the Hudson Valley Bears 9-3 last night, the Brooklyn Aces have no time to relax.

The New Jersey Rockhoppers have the weapons on offense, defense and in net to play 60 solid minutes against the Aces and have done it before. Coming off a tough loss to Danbury last night, the Rockhoppers will look to rebound and it’ll be up to the Aces to stop them in their tracks.

Wilcox back in full swing- Making his return to the team last night after nursing a few injuries over the past few games, Aces captain Chad Wilcox nabbed two assists and was on his game, forechecking, fighting and getting the crowd involved. While he may only play about 10 minutes a game, Wilcox can play on any line and is capable of switching the momentum of a contest in a heartbeat. Getting him back in the lineup is definitely a good thing.

Before injuring his hand in mid-December, Aces defenseman and assistant captain Rob Miller was not only a force offensively, scoring 10 points in 11 games, but he was also an outstanding defender and a leader the rest of the team looked up to. Stepping behind the bench over the past three weeks as Assistant Coach, a role he has performed at other levels of his career, Miller, who was the assistant for the New Hampshire Freeze before the team folded, has seen his career come full circle. This time around however, Miller expects to be back on the ice, rather than behind it once he is completely healthy, fortifying the Brooklyn defense and helping them continue their dominant ways.

Discussing his season with Aces Over Brooklyn on Dec. 27, Miller talks about the ups and downs he’s had to go through this season, in addition to how similar his coaching style and playing style are to one another.