K'Andre Miller walked into the NHL Store in New York City on Saturday to a plethora of New York Rangers fans waiting to meet him.
The Rangers defenseman took part in an autograph signing event, getting a chance to meet with supporters and give them a souvenir for the road.
“The coolest thing is the interaction,” Miller said after the event. “Getting to meet the people that come out and take time out of their weekend to come say hi. It means a lot.”
One of the fans who got a chance to meet the blueliner was 22-year-old Tyler Kay, who brought a special jersey for Miller to sign. Kay and Miller both attended the University of Wisconsin, so Kay showed up with Miller’s old college hockey jersey.
“I’ve been a Rangers fan my whole life and heard he was coming so I had to pull out the old jersey to bring it to him,” Kay said.
Kay, a New York native, actually met Miller once before. He ran into Miller on campus in Wisconsin during Miller’s freshman year and asked for a photo. Kay brought a copy of the photo on Saturday to remind Miller of their first meeting, but there was no need. Miller said he remembered that interaction from a few years ago.
“It was pretty cool to see him again,” Miller said. “And he actually had the picture from back then too.”
Miller signed the jersey then the two got another photo together before Kay went on his way.
“It’s awesome,” Kay said. “He’s always been very welcoming and open to talking to people. For me, it was just a natural progression. He went to college and I got to watch him, and now I get to go to the Garden and watch him too. It’s awesome. He’s easy to root for.”
Another fan with a special gift for Miller was 19-year-old Alexa Millea, from Brooklyn, NY, who brought him two handmade friendship bracelets. Millea, a Rangers fan since she was 7 years old, runs an Etsy business and makes customized bracelets.
“So I was like, ‘Well he’s my favorite player so maybe he’ll like them,’ ” Millea said.
And it sounds like he did, as he cracked a big smile while talking about them after the event.
“One says ‘Big Milla,’ that’s what [Alexis Lafrenière] calls me in between periods, and then the other one is for my girlfriend, so that was really nice,” Miller said.
The second bracelet says, “Miller 79.”
“He really loved them,” Millea said. “He said, ‘Can we get those in the picture too?’ So, I really loved that.”
After the event, Miller reiterated how much he appreciates the support from fans during these events.
“We had a great turnout today,” Miller said. “It’s great to interact with all the people that come through and are supporting the New York Rangers but also me. It’s pretty cool. I had a lot of fun with it today.”
