Vancouver Canucks star J.T. Miller has broken his silence on the rumoured beef between him and teammate Elias Pettersson.
The rumours have taken on a life of their own after comments from Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and head coach Rick Tocchet on Saturday as well as a report from Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman.
Pettersson was blunt with the media following Saturday night’s post-game avail, saying that people are “trying to make sh*t up” when it comes to him and Miller. Reporters finally got Miller’s side of the story following practice this afternoon.
As expected, he was also not a fan of the media circus these rumours have created.
“This isn’t a thing. Am I bothered? No, but you guys are just wasting your time,” Miller said after being asked about it. “I don’t care, you guys wanna talk about it, you wanna ask me, ask me all you want, I can bring up Petey, and we can do the interview together if that would make you guys happy.
“I have a lot of stuff to worry about right now for myself. I am not worried about any noise; the noise is between my ears, and I’m trying to figure out how to play a good 200-foot game for the team.”
“Not driving the play I want to on a consistent basis. Try and have a good game tomorrow.”
🗣 J.T. Miller meets with the media following Sunday’s practice at Rogers Arena. pic.twitter.com/Ff64ebU4jW
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 22, 2024
This is the first time that Miller has publicly commented on the supposed unrest in the locker room stemming from a rift between him and Pettersson. The 31-year-old has four assists in six games since returning from a personal leave of absence that caused him to miss 10 regular season games in November and early December.
He was specifically singled out by Tocchet following Saturday night’s 5-4 OT loss against the Ottawa Senators. Miller lost his man on two goals against, and he took full responsibility for those mistakes in the same interview.
“I made a mistake,” Miller said. “That’s my guy, I didn’t even know he was there I was just trying to pick off that first pass and didn’t realize the guy was behind me until I turned around. That’s on me, I gotta be more focused and same with the overtime goal, those are both my fault.
“Try not to duplicate mistakes, and sh*t happens.”
Miller has struggled to reach the 103-point pace that he set last year with the Canucks. He has just six goals and 20 points through his first 23 games and is currently on pace for just 50 points this season.
The Canucks have just one more game against the San Jose Sharks on Monday before the Christmas break. Hopefully, some time off the ice spent with family over the holidays can help the noise around the team quiet down.