Was the hit necessary? No. Was it funny? Yup.
Was it devestating? No. Did it turn the tide of the game? A bit.
Was it cheap? I'm 50.50 on it, not a fan of hits on the tender, but then again, Hextall, Billy Smith, even Brodeur has stepped up to swing on skaters when necessary, so if Miller can't put on his big boy pants and stand up for himself, then that's HIS problem, and his team's because they did diddly squat to man up on his behalf.
I personally don't like anyone hitting the goaltender when he's in front of that net doing his job, but if he wants to come that far out to challenge a player on a breakaway, I would say that he's fair game. He's another defenseman, lucky enough to wear bigger pads. If Lucic had maintained control of the puck on the way in, and Miller had blasted him, there wouldn't have been a call at all, he would have been applauded. Even by ME, a huge Lucic fan. Goalies take it to skaters when they feel threatened, ask Chris Chelios, or even go back to the playoffs last year when Thomas did it to Sedin. He's protecting his net, but if he wants to make it physical, and get in front of a player headed his way quickly, on a breakaway, rather than stay by the goal where he belongs, if he gets hit, tough luck. You pay the price for being out of your element. Goalies get knocked around behind the net when there's traffic and they're trying to clear, and it's part of the game, it's no big deal.
And as far as Lucic being gutless, Miller needs to wake up. He swung to take out Lucic immediately after he was hit. Embarrassed and on his back, he tried to retaliate illegally, and had he been successful, it would have been matched penalties. He hacked at Lucic in the crease a couple times after that as well, but since he failed to exact any kind of revenge, he ran his mouth to the press. Talking trash after the fact does nothing but make you look like more of a crybaby.
The Sabres should have had someone man up and do something about it, because it's an eye for an eye out there on the ice, and a big hit would have been fair retribution. Instead they just let it slide and got rolled over. Had Kaleta laid out Thomas, Lucic would have beaten the half a brain out of his head for it. Myers is a big boy, he could have stood up for Miller if it was that big a deal. So either the Sabres are light in the loafers, OR, the more likely explanation, it was just another part of the game. It happens.
My overall opinion on the matter is this. It's hockey. People get hit. Savard is retired because of a cheap shot, and since there was no real rule in place for it at the time, so as much as I hate Cooke for it, the bottom line is, crap-ola happens, deal with it.
