ARLINGTON, Va. – Materially, the difference between an Olympic gold and silver medal is negligible.

The International Olympic Committee requires that gold medals contain just six grams of actual gold. The discs bestowed upon the champions are actually 92.5 percent silver. The shimmering luster of the ultimate prize is, at its core, not all that dissimilar from what hangs around the first-losers’ necks.

This is of no consolation to Ryan Miller, who understands the excruciating disparity between gold and silver.

The gold medal that dangled from Sidney Crosby’s neck after the 2010 Vancouver Games’ hockey finale represented the fairy tale ending Miller coveted, the championship that eluded him, the hero’s moment. Miller's silver medal epitomized an incomplete journey, an overtime mistake that would haunt him and a defeat that would come to define him as much as the overtime “golden goal” has defined Crosby – or at least it has when the Buffalo Sabres visit Winnipeg.

“I haven’t come to terms with it,” says Miller of the silver.

“We went there to win.”

In 2014, he wants to go back to the Olympics. To complete the journey. To play flawlessly in the final game.

To win gold.

“I want to make the team. I want to be the guy who’s there stopping pucks in Sochi. I want to start. I want to play,” said Miller.

Much has changed since Miller stood inside Hockey Place on Feb. 28, 2010, watching Canada celebrate gold on its home ice and his own run, which earned him tournament MVP honors, end with the silver.

He’s 33 years old, strands of gray now striping his black hair. He’s married, to actress Noureen DeWulf. He’s still one of the most loquacious and thoughtful players in the NHL, but there’s an underlying frustration to many of his comments in the last few seasons. His time with the Sabres appears at an end, with one year left on his contract and Buffalo entering a transition period. He hasn’t seen the postseason since 2011.

His stats have ballooned from their career peak in 2009-2010. Miller is no longer looked upon as one of the League’s top five goaltenders – in fact, he's no longer considered the best netminder for his own country. Most rankings have him eclipsed by many of the American goalies vying for U.S. Olympic roster spots.

“I think even if you asked Ryan Miller, he needs to reestablish his game with the Buffalo Sabres; in conjunction with that, with USA Hockey,” said Ray Shero, general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and part of the U.S. Olympic managerial team.

“But he was fantastic in 2010. There’s no denying that.”

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The selection process for the 2014 U.S. Olympic hockey team measures two primary factors.

The first is “what have you done for me lately?”, as the first three months of the NHL season will determine who has the hot hands and cold feet among Olympic hopefuls. Come out of the gate slowly, and a player risks not making Sochi. Come out of the gate dominating the NHL, and it can mean becoming an integral part of the team. Miller could attest to that: In 2009, he won 16 of his first 22 starts for the Sabres, and earned the starting goalie job for Team USA.

“How you’re playing is the big factor, as it was last time,” said Miller, speaking at U.S. Olympic camp in Arlington, Va. on Monday.

“Certainly your body of work is what gets you invited.”

That’s the second criteria, and Miller’s best case for inclusion on the 2014 roster. He had a 1.35 GAA with a .946 save percentage for the Americans in Vancouver, outright stealing games for a young (and offensively challenged) team.

His athletic, unwavering play earned him Olympic hero status; the name “Ryan Miller” could mentioned with that of Jim Craig among the most impressive goaltending performances by an American in Olympic hockey history.

Is there a sense that Miller is owed the chance to play again in the 2014 Games, as repayment for his performance in 2010?

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