J.T. Miller exposes more on his feud with Elias Pettersson ahead of game vs. Vancouver

On Saturday afternoon, J.T. Miller will face his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, for the first time since he was traded to the New York Rangers in January. When he met with media on Friday, Miller reflected positively on his tenure in Vancouver, though he still ended up sharing more details on the reported feud between he and former teammate Elias Pettersson. He felt the need to add some details after Canucks president Jim Rutherford had mentioned before trading Miller that the drama was hurting the team.

“The whole me-and-Petey thing, it’s still blown out of proportion,” Miller said, per Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre. “I get what Jim was doing. I have a ton of respect for Jim, and I talked with Jim after that (story). I wasn’t mad; I understand everybody has a job to do. Clearly, if me and Petey were better than we were, obviously this might be different. But it’s also not as bad as everybody thought either. It’s just an easy thing for everybody to run with. There was just a lot of moving parts.”

Miller made a return to New York after racking up 437 points in 404 games for Vancouver. He made sure to explain how some of the fondest memories of his career were made with the Canucks.

“They created a lot of special memories for me and my family, especially in the playoffs last year,” he added. “I have three young children and one of their favorite memories was the fans chanting my name, probably something I’ll never get back. But their honesty, their passion … I feel like I pride myself on a lot of the same things (the fans) do. They’re obsessed with their hockey there and obsessed with their team, and they’re always blunt. Not to like that would be pretty hypocritical.”

Miller has recorded 18 points in 20 games since rejoining the Rangers. He knows all too well that the game between his Blue Shirts and his former Canucks is important for both clubs. The two teams are within striking distance of the final wild-card seed in their respective conferences.