Edward "Eddie" Miller was an American ice hockey

Forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

and

Defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

who was a member of the inaugural recruiting class at

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Career

The son of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n immigrants, Miller was born in raised in Leetonia, Minnesota, now a part of

Hibbing Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...

. After graduating from

Hibbing High School Hibbing High School is a public grade 7–12 high school in Hibbing, Minnesota, United States. It was built from 1920 to 1922 as the entire city relocated south to make way for the expanding Hull–Rust–Mahoning Mine. The lavish Tudor Reviva ...

he joined the

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and served for two years. After returning home he worked as a

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, ...

for two years before getting his chance at college hockey.

Denver University The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

began its ice hockey program in 1949 and Miller was in the first class of players to be invited to join the team. He didn't play on the varsity squad during his freshman season as the NCAA had rules stipulating that students were only permitted to play three year on any varsity team, but by the start of his sophomore year, Miller was with the big squad. Miller was one of the reasons why Denver nearly tripled its win total in the second season and then finished with an 18–6–1 mark in his junior season. Denver narrowly missed out on making its first NCAA tournament appearance in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

but Miller did receive recognition as one of the top defensemen that season with his selection as an AHCA First Team All-American, the first in the history of the program. After leaving Denver in 1953, Miller returned to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and worked as a teacher and ice hockey coach in

Baudette Baudette is a city in, and the county seat of, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,106, and in 2018 the population was estimated at 1,003. Baudette is known as the Walleye Capital of th ...

and

Wayzata Wayzata ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Wayzata is situated along the northern shore of Lake Minnetonka about west of Minneapolis. Known for its small-town character and lakeside lo ...

for over 30 years. Miller continued to play throughout the 1950s, winning the national senior amateur championship with the Minneapolis Bungalow team in 1957. A year later Miller played for the US national team at the

1958 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1958 Ice Hockey World Championships were held between February 28 and March 9, 1958, in Oslo, Norway at the Jordal Amfi arena. The Whitby Dunlops represented Canada, winning the World Championship for the 17th time. The Soviets lost the fina ...

but finished disappointed in 5th-place. Late in life, Miller was inducted into both the Hibbing Hall of Fame (1996) and the Denver Athletic Hall of Fame (2000).

Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Eddie Year of birth unknown American men's ice hockey defensemen Ice hockey players from Minnesota Denver Pioneers men's ice hockey players Sportspeople from Hibbing, Minnesota Ice hockey people from St. Louis County, Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota United States Navy sailors Hibbing High School alumni AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans