J.T. Miller has reopened the Vancouver chapter, while Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan now has a captain willing to talk about it.
Nearly two years after the tension between Miller and Elias Pettersson became one of the NHL's biggest locker-room stories, Miller finally addressed it in a very public setting.
During a Spittin' Chiclets golf appearance, Paul Bissonnette chirped Miller during his swing: “I'm getting bullied more than Petey on the Canucks.”
Miller still drove the ball straight before firing back: “Petey in my backswing is crazy.” Then he added, “I went to rehab for that.”
The line landed because Miller's 2024 absence from Vancouver had never been fully explained publicly. The Canucks called it “personal reasons,” while Patrik Allvin said Miller was “seeking help.”
Miller also told the producers they didn't need to edit the exchange, turning what could have been a throwaway golf-course chirp into his clearest public acknowledgment of that chapter.
Miller finally addresses the Vancouver fallout
Miller missed 10 games during that leave before returning in December. At the time, the organization kept the details private while questions around his relationship with Pettersson kept building.
Pettersson offered little publicly, saying, “I think all of us are dealing with stuff.” The uncertainty never faded, and the tension followed both players through the season. (
Jim Rutherford eventually pushed back on speculation: “People that do this for fun, or for a living, just go back to making up trade rumours.”
Rick Tocchet later admitted attempts were made to fix the situation. “I hear people on podcasts saying they've got to go to dinner and fight it out.
“You don't think we tried all that stuff? It just didn't work out.” Tocchet also said, “I don't know if there's a bad guy in the thing. It just didn't work out.”
By January 31, 2025, Vancouver had traded Miller to the Rangers, ending the partnership and leaving Pettersson behind as the Canucks moved forward without one of their biggest personalities.
Miller later described the season as “exhausting” and “a year I'd like to forget about.” Now, his golf-course response shows he's willing to acknowledge the episode instead of completely burying it.
The full story still hasn't surfaced. But Miller saying this much, with the cameras rolling and no request to cut it, puts the Vancouver fallout back under the spotlight.
Did Vancouver wait too long to separate J\.T\. Miller and Elias Pettersson?
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