“A lover and a fighter”: Ryan Miller's wife Noureen DeWulf reacts to throwback clip of him fighting on the ice

On Tuesday, Ryan Miller’s wife, Noureen DeWulf, shared a throwback clip of her husband stepping into an on-ice fight on her Instagram stories. The clip, originally posted by the Canucks Army Instagram account, featured a past game where Miller intervened to defend rookie defenseman Troy Stecher, who was playing his fourth NHL game at the time.

The incident occurred when Stecher, playing for the Vancouver Canucks, was involved in an altercation with Matt Martin of the New York Islanders. Miller, then the Canucks goaltender, skated in and dropped his stick to protect his teammate, joining a broader scuffle on the ice.

“A lover and a fighter @ryanmillergoalie 😂❤️😅,” Noureen wrote in the caption.

via Instagram /@noureen

She also thanked a friend, who apparently sent her the clip.

“Thanks for sending this @martinecagen,” she added.

Ryan Miller played 18 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Buffalo Sabres. He was drafted by Buffalo in 1999 and became their starting goaltender in 2005. Miller won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender in 2010 and helped Team USA win a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks before retiring in 2021.

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Ryan Miller opens up on favorite instance from Toronto-Buffalo rivalry

During a recent appearance on the "Leafs Morning Take" podcast, Ryan Miller discussed his time with the Buffalo Sabres and their rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He said Buffalo was really strong early on, but things changed as time went on.

Reflecting on one of his most memorable incidents of the rivalry while playing for the Sabres, Miller said:

“It was still the most satisfying feeling was, you know, to beat the Leafs in Buffalo. I mean, obviously it's fun to beat them in Toronto, but to beat them in Buffalo and walk out and see all the Leafs zip-tied to the, uh, the security cages was probably my favorite because there was just so much anarchy and just people throwing punches and going crazy.

“It was pretty classic because I think all those guys tried to get arrested on purpose so they could see all the players walk out. You know what I mean? It was unbelievable. Absolute hooligans.”

Ryan Miller also explained that Buffalo was a team on the rise trying to prove it could compete with the best. At that time, Toronto wasn’t quite as strong, and Buffalo was more mature and ready to take the next step, per Miller. Over the years, the Maple Leafs got better and now compete at the highest level, but when Miller played, he claimed that the Sabres were ahead of them.