Jay Miller (born July 16, 1960) is an American former ice hockey player. He played for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

and Los Angeles Kings of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) between 1985 and 1992.

Early life

Raised in

Natick, Massachusetts Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

, Miller played college hockey with the New Hampshire Wildcats.

Career

Miller was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the fourth round, 66th overall in the

1980 NHL Entry Draft The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubleda ...

. Miller never got a chance to show his skills with the Nordiques however, spending a few seasons with a handful of minor league teams. In 1985, the 6'2 left winger signed as a free agent with the

and made the team that year as their enforcer. In the 1985-86 season he played in 46 games and collected 178 penalty minutes. During his stint with the Boston Bruins, Miller was known for his many fights with John Kordic. His role continued to expand with the Boston Bruins, playing in 78 games during the 1987-88 regular season and racking up 304 penalty minutes - both career highs. That year in the playoffs, Miller was a regular on the Bruins' squad playing in 12 games and picking up 124 minutes in penalties. In January 1989 he was traded from Boston Bruins to the Los Angeles Kings for future considerations. Miller played four more seasons with the Kings, in the role of enforcer on a team that included

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

. He retired from professional hockey in 1992, having played 446 career NHL regular season games with 1723 penalty minutes.

Personal life

Miller had a son in 1991, also named Jay, who played football at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Jay Sr. has a daughter named Brooke who played college hockey on defense for the

Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They primarily compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League. In ice hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Patriot League for either sex, th ...

. His youngest daughter, Taylor, played basketball as a forward for

Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College (St. Mikes or Saint Michael's) is a private Roman Catholic college in Colchester, Vermont. Saint Michael's was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund. It grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees i ...

in Burlington, Vermont. Miller and his wife Paula Miller (née Perini) operate the Courtyard Restaurant & Pub in Bourne, Massachusetts.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

External links

* 1960 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers Boston Bruins players Fredericton Express players Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Los Angeles Kings players Maine Mariners players Mohawk Valley Stars players Moncton Golden Flames players Muskegon Lumberjacks players New Hampshire Wildcats men's ice hockey players People from Natick, Massachusetts People from Wellesley, Massachusetts Quebec Nordiques draft picks Sportspeople from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Toledo Goaldiggers players {{US-icehockey-winger-stub