‘If they want to throw their s–t on the ice, that’s up to them.’ Canucks’ J.T. Miller reacts to fans throwing jerseys

Will the Vancouver Canucks’ despair ever bottom out? Every day so far in this nightmarish season, it’s another embarrassing loss, another blown lead, another demoralizing comment from a star player.

The latest came from center J.T. Miller Monday when asked for his reaction to the team’s home-opener loss to the Buffalo Sabres over the weekend. After a disastrous 0-3-2 road trip to start their 2022-23 season, the Canucks returned to Rogers Arena to battle a Buffalo Sabres team playing its third leg of a Western road trip. The Canucks ate a 5-1 beating, falling to 0-4-2 on the season. The home crowd booed the Canucks off the ice, and some disgusted fans resorted to throwing jerseys on the ice.

Miller commented on the jersey throwing Monday following the team’s morning skate leading up to its game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“If they want to throw their shit on the ice it’s up to them…” Miller told reporters. “If they want to come to the game, spend all that money and throw their gear on the ice that’s up to them.”

Miller, 29, has been a lightning rod for criticism around the team early this season after he signed a seven-year, $56 million extension with an $8 million AAV in the summer following a career year in which he had 99 points. The deal doesn’t commence until next season. Miller, who has two goals and three points through six games, has been on the ice for 14 goals against versus four goals for this season and has been openly critical of his own play.

“I’m not gonna sit here to talk about how we played when I can’t even lead by example right now” he said after the team’s first two losses earlier this month “…I just feel like I’m a little irrelevant. Being on the ice for every goal, I don’t know what to say.”

Canucks captain Bo Horvat has also expressed hopelessness over the team’s start, claiming after Saturday’s defeat that a win feels like it’s “never going to happen.”