The big question for a lot of people right now is when can they see Ryan Miller again in

person? Can they meet him at the airport, the way they did Dominik Hasek in 1998? The Sabres

haven't decided whether Miller will join the team in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, or travel straight

from Vancouver to Buffalo to get a little rest.

Every hockey fan in Western New York will want to be in HSBC Arena on Wednesday night, when

Ryan Miller skates onto the ice before the game against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals.

Imagine what the ovation will be like, especially if Miller has a gold medal around his neck.

Miller is one step from becoming a national hero. At 3 p.m. today, he will be in goal again

when the United States faces host Canada for Olympic hockey gold. For the second time in eight

days, Miller will face down an extraordinarily talented Canadian squad on the sport's biggest

stage.

Win or lose, he has carved out a permanent spot in the hearts of Buffalo fans. Everyone wants to see Miller, to embrace him, to be part of his orbit. Anybody up for a parade through the snow-filled downtown streets if the Americans win it all?

Miller has put the U.S. in position to win its first hockey gold since the Miracle on Ice

in 1980. It'll be no miracle if the Americans win today. But this has the feel of a Super Bowl

Sunday, a shared communal gathering. Miller hasn't allowed a goal in 111 minutes, 38 seconds.

Someone start a pool.

This is a great moment for Miller, and for the sport of hockey. But it's not often that a

Buffalo athlete is the center of the sports universe. It's a rare opportunity for us to puff

out our chests, knowing it's our guy in net, backstopping a nation.

Of course, Miller's play inspires a larger hope, something more personal to this town. It

allows Sabres fans to believe he will some day win a Stanley Cup. If Miller can play this way

with the whole world watching, on the Canadians' home turf, there's no telling what he might

accomplish.

Miller has won big games before. People forget he was a rookie in 2005-06, when the Sabres

came one game from the Cup final. He has been a consistent winner since turning pro. Still,

there were questions about his stature as an elite goalie, and his ability to rise to the big

moment.

He has validated himself as a big-game goaltender in Vancouver. Several of his NHL equals

have crumpled under the pressure: Martin Brodeur, Mikka Kiprusoff, Evgeni Nabokov. Miller has

risen to the challenge. He has embraced the spotlight, not only as an athlete but as a public

figure.

Hockey has become a niche sport in the U.S. But at Olympic time, the marginal fans pay

attention. The country has finally discovered Miller. He has gone on national radio shows.

Ryan Seacrest got him talking about his girlfriend — actress Noureen DeWulf, whose most

notable work was in "Oceans 13." Miller seems to be enjoying his sudden celebrity in

Vancouver. He's always been a thoughtful, credible spokesman. Miller saw an opportunity for

the spotlight to shine not only on him, but on hockey, a sport that gets second-class

treatment in the U.S. media.

"It's part of the responsibility," Miller said earlier this week. "We are kind of a cult

sport in America. In Canada, it's life."

The guy gets it. Miller talked about himself as a "product." He displayed a genuine

innocence about his new celebrity. Miller has struggled at times with the public aspect of his

job. It's not always easy to say the right thing in the heat of the moment.

He is a sincere, accountable pro, and Buffalo fans appreciate it. Miller was the most

popular athlete in town before the Olympic run. His popularity is off the charts now. If the

U.S. wins today, he can run for governor.

The U.S. team has bonded remarkably fast. It's not only Miller making Buffalo proud. South

Buffalo's Patrick Kane has performed like a budding National Hockey League superstar.

Amherst's Brooks Orpik has been a steady force on defense, same as he was for the Pittsburgh

Penguins in their Cup run a year ago. An outsider might wonder if Buffalo is the best hockey-

playing town in the country.

But Miller has lifted his teammates. When a goalie is on, it gives the other players

confidence, a willingness to take chances and put heat on the opponent. Miller has allowed an

underdog team to look in the faces of Sid Crosby and the Canadians and show them they're in

for a fight.

He has been the tournament MVP. If the U.S. wins gold, Miller might be the athlete of the

Games, the way Hasek was a dozen years ago. Darcy Regier, the Sabres' general manager, says

Miller has developed a "mastery" of the mental side of hockey. Darren Pang, an NHL

goalie-turned-announcer, says Miller seems a step ahead of everyone.

That's the objective. Miller is the thinking man's goalie, on and off the ice. He's a world-

class athlete, but not the physical marvel of some netminders. He's at his best when he

anticipates and positions himself perfectly. Even Miller admits it can seem boring when he's

"dialed in" and pucks hit him in the chest.

Hasek was a mad genius in goal. He used his intelligence to escape trouble, often of his

own making. Hasek lived on the edge. Miller tries to avoid it. There are many ways to achieve

greatness. Miller is approaching the territory Hasek staked out 12 years ago. People are

calling him the best goalie in the game.

That means coming through in the big ones. If you have the best clutch goalie, anything is

possible. Hasek proved that in '98, when he came back from his Olympic triumph and carried a

marginally talented Sabres team to the Eastern finals.

That was a great ride. But this seems a little sweeter. Miller is doing it for the United

States. There's more a sense that he's one of ours, a genuine Buffalo guy. Hasek was from

another country. At times, it seemed he was from another planet.

Miller is a stand-up guy who won't hesitate to say what's on his mind. He'll criticize

teammates when they stray from the system. A few weeks ago, he said the Sabres were playing

like fragile little kids. There's nothing fragile about the U.S. team, or its goalie.

Now his words will carry even more weight. Sabres fans can only dream that, in time,

they'll be able to cheer for a squad just like it, one worthy of the best goalie on the

planet.