An 11-year NHL linesman and veteran of the Stanley Cup playoffs has been temporarily removed from working playoff games as the league contends with fallout from questions about the missing puck from last year's 2010 Stanley Cup final won by the Chicago Blackhawks. Steve Miller, 38, is not included among the officials who will work the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, according to the list made public by the NHL on Friday. Miller was featured in an ESPN.com "Outside the Lines" story on April 21 that explored the whereabouts of the puck Patrick Kane shot to win last year's Cup in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Since the story appeared, Miller has not worked an NHL game. Gary Meagher, the league's senior vice president for public relations, said Friday that the decision was made to temporarily remove Miller from the playoffs to avoid any potential distractions. Meagher said Miller is not suspended, and that the league stands behind him. "There are lots of questions out there and to have any potential distraction while our playoffs are going on is not fair," Meagher said. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/news/story?id=6452071
