| Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame |
|---|
Perry Elvin Miller
- Born: June 24, 1952 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Position: Left Wing / Defense
In 1972-73 he signed with the Charlotte Checkers of the EHL and in 1973-74 was a Second All-Star. Signed with the Jets in the summer of 1974 and he was immediately converted from a defenseman to a winger by coach Rudy Pilous. At first, he struggled in his new position, but handled the switch well over the next season and a half before being dealt to the Minnesota Fighting Saints. After the Fighting Saints folded a month later, Miller rejoined the Jets, and coach Bobby Kromm returned him to his natural position on the blue line. The 1976-1977 season was his best as a Jet and he was the Jets' most consistent defender that year. In 1977-78 Miller decided to take up an offer from the NHL's Detroit red Wings, signing a free agent contract on July 8. He took a regular shift on the Red Wings defense, playing in 62 and 75 games over the next two years, respectively. In 1979-80 Miller played 16 games in Detroit with the balance of his year being played in Adirondack. He returned for one more season with Detroit in 1980-81, playing in 64 games and retired as a member of the Adirondack Red Wings after the 1981-82 season. He later worked as a color commentator on the Jets' radio broadcasts. In a game in October 1975, he sustained a serious eye injury as a result of a high stick, prompting Bobby Hull to sit out one game in protest over the increasing level of violence in pro hockey.
On 1 February 1977, Miller scored four times in an 11-1 rout over the Edmonton Oilers and set a WHA record for most goals by a defenseman in one game.
Career Statistics[]
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1969-70 | West Kildonan North Stars | MJHL | ||||||||||||
| 1970-71 | West Kildonan North Stars | MJHL | 40 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 179 | |||||||
| 1971-72 | West Kildonan North Stars | MJHL | 39 | 15 | 23 | 38 | 187 | |||||||
| 1972-73 | Charlotte Checkers | EHL | 65 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 126 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1973-74 | Charlotte Checkers | SHL | 66 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 203 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 35 | ||
| 1974-75 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 67 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 133 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1975-76 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 47 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 41 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 1976-77 | Winnipeg Jets | WHA | 74 | 14 | 31 | 45 | 124 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 27 | ||
| 1977-78 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 62 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 120 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1978-79 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 75 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 156 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1979-80 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 41 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 55 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 155 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 1980-81 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 64 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 70 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||
| 1981-82 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 58 | 12 | 31 | 43 | 118 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| NHL Totals | 217 | 10 | 51 | 61 | 387 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| WHA Totals | 201 | 31 | 60 | 91 | 309 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 27 | ||||
Awards & Achievements[]
- SHL Second All-Star Team (1974)
- Set WHA record for most goals by a defenseman in a game (1977)
- “Honoured Member” of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame