Legendary blues man BB King once said:
“You can’t play the blues until you’ve lived the blues”.
You can't fake the funk and depth of the blues.
Like in hockey, either you have "it", or you don't.
Players can’t play the blues unless they’ve felt at points in their life the the anxiety and depression closely associated with failure, death, departure, ruin, break-ups, heartache, and out and out bad luck.
I’m a blues aficionado. I have felt and lived the blues. Though I don’t play the blues, I admire those who can manifest their own personal pain and suffering into soul-stirring, gut-wrenching, uplifting, soothing, searing hot compressions on the human heart. There’s nothing more purely therapeutic and settling to me during my blue times than to escape to my personal blues guitar masters: James Marshall Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Slash, Billy Gibbons, Keith Richards, George Harrison, Robbie Baker, Gordy Johnson, Jeff Healey, and Colin James.
The list is long. The blue last longer.
Who needs meds? When I’m down and I out, I pop two or three blues masters and am able to get through my day.
You can’t play the blues unless you’ve lived the blues.
You know Ryan Miller, right? Did you know that he was born to play the blues? Its true.
Miller’s NHL career arc is a tasty mélange of the highest highs, and the lowest lows. In his recent past, Miller has authored a rather impressive body of work. He led his Buffalo Sabres teams to two straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances. He and his Sabres won a President’s Trophy. He earned a Vezina Trophy. He was voted MVP of the 2010 Olympics for delivering the silver medal to America while leading Team USA.
Heady, euphoric stuff, bro.
His blues have been just as noteworthy.
The loss of a loved one.
Losing two ECFs prompted questions by Sabres fans and hockey media as to whether or not he is an elite NHL goaltender.
The Lucic Incident and the injuries and all of the drama associated with it.
Having fans and media cite his marriage and relationship with his Hollywood actress wife as the "reason" for his desire to leave Buffalo. He was accused of warming up his getaway plane from Buffalo to fly to the warmer climes of SoCal.
The infamous verbal tirade that he leveled at the godfather of the NHL, Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, during an all-nighter NHL-NHLPA negotiating jam session.
Having to bust his ass, on a terrible Sabres team earlier this season in order to lead a team in transition and to achieve the team goals while at the same time trying to impress Team USA’s brass to select him as one of the three goalies for the Sochi Olympics.
Blues. Miller knows the blues.
Miller plays the blues. Miller now plays for the Blues.
Miller, former Sabres and Amerks teammate Brian Campbell used to play the blues at Buckin' Buffalo. They did so six years ago with my friends Jeremy Hoyle, Bruce Wojick and The Strictly Hip.
New Orleans is sinkin’ man, and I don’t wanna swim…
On Thursday night, Miller unveiled his homage to the blues. His spankin’ new Blue Note emblazoned mask, which features a gleaming Jimmy Page Gibson Les Paul guitar, the same one the Jimmy Page and Slash kicked their blues with. He also tricked it out with a fantastic Fender Stratocaster, the kind that Hendrix, Clapton, Beck and Baker love to emote with.
To know Miller is to know that he is a diehard, passionate rock guitar head. Miller appreciates the maters as well as new school blues men like John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Joe Bonamassa. Miller also paid homage to St. Louis blues lore with a "Saint Louis Blues" logo which is inspired by the music blues scales of composer, musician, blues pioneer W.C. Handy.
Miller told bnd.com that he played an active hand in the design of his new blues bucket.
"I like to get involved and I had a little more input than usual," Miller said. "I sit around and just tried to come up with some ideas. This time I was a little more pressed for time.
"I got some basic sketches together and just pulled up everything I could on Google about the area."
The rock guitars on both sides really stand out.
"It turned out great," Miller said. "I think it's a fun theme; there's a lot of great guitarists out there so if I get another mask I've still got a lot of blues to cover".
Miller couldn’t pay tribute to all of the masters on his mask, so perhaps he’ll create a second one.
"Stevie Ray Vaughan still hasn't made an appearance yet. You can have some fun with it."
"I didn't want to just throw something together" he said. "I wanted to do something that might look good, or at least look good to me. It was kind of a collaborative effort this time because we were playing every other day and I didn't have time to sit around and do it like I usually do."
At 7-1-1 (1.92 GAA and .923 save %), Miller is killing it with the Blues right now. The team is 10-1 since he arrived on the Blues scene three weeks ago.
You look good in blue, and gold, Millsie.
You and your Blues can give the Flyers the blues today, man.
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The Sabres will skate in Vancouver today.
They won't play the Canucks until 8pm EDT Sunday night.
Much more to come....
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Talk about commitment to the cause. Watch as Shea crawls across concrete isthmus to kick the crap out of Rattie.
Thanks @MyRegular Face
Also, glass-banger crushed for, well, banging the glass...
AWESOME!
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