J.T. Miller and former Vancouver Canucks goalie Kirk McLean let loose at Wildcaps game

Fans of professional athletes are so used to seeing them buttoned up, focused, and very professional before, during, and after their games. That's why on the rare occasion when the athlete publicly lets loose and many fans see it, they scream in excitement.

This was the case on Saturday at the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer game against Miami (playing without star Lionel Messi).

J.T. Miller was sitting with former Canucks goalie Kirk McLean. When the camera and Jumbotron put them on display for the arena to see, Miller and McLean chugged their beverages. Fans could not have been happier.

It is good to see Miller doing better

The Canucks had a physically and mentally grueling season that spilled over to an exhausting and emotional postseason. Most of the time when we saw J.T. Miller, he was either upset about the team's loss or trying to toe the line to keep the Canucks focused one game at a time in the playoffs.

Miller, 31, will be a Canuck for years to come by virtue of his seven-year contract. He is a critical building block in Coach Rick Tocchet's talented pool of players.

Tocchet is committed to improving upon the Canucks 2023-2024 accomplishments by doubling down and working even harder in the offseason. He has an ambitious schedule planned with player meetings and in-person visits with some of the players to keep the growth and momentum going straight into the 2024-2025 season.

Obviously, Miller's meeting was not yesterday so he was letting off steam. As for McLean, he is a Vancouver legend in his own right leveraging his hockey career into a brief broadcasting stint and business interests that include restaurant ownership in Vancouver. He was the second inductee into the Canucks Ring of Honor in 2010, and the 57-year-old remains beloved by Vancouver faithful.