Miller Won’t Play for U.S.

His patriotic heart said yes. His competitive nature said yes.

But his mind and body said no.

And his wife said no way.

For reasons ranging from fear for his safety during the war in Iraq to uneasiness about putting his tender midsection through another month of high-stress wear and tear, King defenseman Aaron Miller declined USA Hockey’s invitation to play in the World Championships starting April 26 in Finland.

“My wife has serious concerns about me being over there during the war,” Miller said Wednesday before the Kings wrapped up the Staples Center portion of their schedule with a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in front of a sellout crowd of 18,393. “I know it’s Finland, but it’s still flying internationally.

“Obviously, I want to represent my country, but it doesn’t always work out. It’s not always that easy. Obviously, I’m excited that I was asked and hopefully I will be [asked] in the future, but this time around it’s not the right thing for me.”

Miller, who helped Team USA to an Olympic silver medal last year in the Salt Lake City Games, said his health also was a factor. The native of Buffalo, N.Y., said he still does not feel 100% sound after abdominal surgery in September.

“My whole midsection has kind of been screwed up there for a while,” he said. “I want to get my body back to where it needs to be to play in this league.”

Several players have expressed reservations about joining Team USA in Finland, but injuries and contract status were cited as often as safety concerns by those declining invitations, USA Hockey spokesman Jim Johannson said.

Six Kings -- Ziggy Palffy and Lubomir Visnovsky of Slovakia, Alexander Frolov of Russia, Mattias Norstrom of Sweden, Jaroslav Modry of the Czech Republic and Mikko Eloranta of Finland -- are expected to play in the World Championships. All but Modry usually return to their homelands each summer.

Of course, the Kings would rather be in the playoffs.

Instead, they’re left to celebrate victories such as the one Wednesday night, which put a crimp in the Avalanche’s hopes of winning its ninth consecutive division title.

The Kings overcame a 3-2 third-period deficit to end their home season with a 19-19-2-1 record, Palffy scoring the winner with 13:50 to play. Eric Belanger scored two goals, the second an empty-netter.