Miller made his mark in the NHL
Billerica native played for 3 teams, including B’s
In the late 1960s and early ‘70s, Billerica produced an eye-popping amount of talented hockey players.
But Bobby Miller was without peer.
“If you played hockey in the Merrimack Valley you knew who Bobby Miller was. If you played hockey in Massachusetts you knew who Bobby Miller was,” said Dean Jenkins, a Billerica native who went to play five games in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings. “He was a great hockey player.”
Miller, who skated in 404 NHL regular-season games, most notably with his hometown Boston Bruins,
passed away at the age of 64.
The Bruins Alumni Association announced the news Friday.
“Bobby Miller was the top of the top back then,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins, who is four years younger than Miller, remembers watching Miller play for Billerica High. He was mesmerized by the talk of the town.
“He was kind of a hockey legend growing up in Billerica. His father (Bob Sr.) was basically the father of Billerica hockey. Bobby was the best player. He was kind of an icon. He wasn’t a banger. He would like glide
on the ice. He could fly. He was kind of pretty to watch. He was very elusive. He was an effortless skater. We all tried to skate like Bobby Miller back in the day,” Jenkins said.
Dean Jenkins became emotional when he learned of Miller’s passing from a reporter.
“That’s horrible news,” he said.
The Miller family made quite an impact on the area. Bob Miller Sr. ran hockey camps which introduced the sport to hundreds of kids in the Merrimack Valley. Miller’s younger brother, Paul, was a standout Billerica High player who went on to play at Boston University. Paul Miller also made it to the NHL, collecting three assists in three games with the Colorado Rockies during the 1981-82 season.
After Billerica High, Bobby Miller took his talents to the University of New Hampshire, where he made an immediate impact.
In his freshman season (1974-75), Miller netted 21 goals and 59 points. He was named the ECAC and New England Rookie of the Year after routinely bringing the fans at Snively Arena out of their seats.
He spent the following season with the U.S. Olympic Team, collecting 33 goals and 94 points in 63 games, and represented his country at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck
He returned to UNH for the 1976-77 season and produced a campaign for the ages, netting 30 goals and 89 points. In 64 games he scored 148 points for the Wildcats. The 2.31 points
per game career average remains a UNH record. He was named a First Team AllAmerican in 1977 and was inducted into UNH’s Hall of Fame in 1994.
“He was fast. He was just a little bit faster than everybody else,” recalled Mark Jenkins, who played for Union when Miller was lighting up the scoreboard at UNH.
Playing against Miller in college wasn’t nearly as fun as playing with him at Billerica High, Mark Jenkins said. Jenkins, the older brother of Dean, remembers Miller scoring seven goals in one state tournament game. Unfortunately, the Indians later lost 1-0 in the 1974 state final to ActonBoxboro.
Miller attended St. John’s Prep and played hockey at the Danvers school before transferring to Billerica High prior to his senior season.
As a senior, he was a force on the ice, netting 36 goals and 24 assists for the Indians.
“I remember doing sprints and trying to keep up with him. He was so damn fast,” said Mark Jenkins, who was on ULowell’s 1979 Division 2 national championship team, with his brother Dean, after transferring from Union. “He was pretty dominant.”
Miller was drafted by the Bruins in the fourth round of the 1976 draft. In his rookie season (1977-78), the 5-foot-11, 180-pound left wing became one of 11 Boston players to score at least 20 goals. That remains an NHL record.
He and the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup Final that season, but Boston was defeated in six games by the Montreal Canadiens. He picked up three assists in 13 playoff games
that spring.
He scored 55 goals in three-plus seasons with the Bruins. He rarely played with a helmet during his Bruins career, his curly black hair noticeable as he sped down the ice.
He collected 51 goals and 129 points during his first three seasons for the Bruins. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies on Feb. 18, 1981 for Mike Gillis. He retired after playing in Switzerland during the 1985-86 season. He also played for a third NHL team, the Los Angeles Kings.
His final NHL regularseason totals: 75 goals, 119 assists, 194 points in 404 games.
Great things were expected of Miller from an early age. And he managed to live up to the hype.
Lowell Catholic athletic director Jack Fletcher was the Chelmsford High JV hockey coach when Miller was starring for Billerica High.
“He was one of the best players I’ve ever seen. He was powerful,” said Fletcher, who went on to become the longtime Chelmsford High head hockey coach. “He was creative with the puck.”
Back then, Billerica produced “unreal” hockey players. But Miller was a cut above, according to Fletcher.
Bill Riley was in the process of turning ULowell into a Division 2 national power when Miller committed to UNH.
It’s been more than four decades, but Riley recalls a special talent.
“Of course I remember him,” Riley said. “He was a terrific player. He had great stickhandling ability. He could skate. He had a long stride. He could have played for anybody.”