David Booth

David Booth (born November 24, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Following his sophomore year with the Michigan State Spartans, he was selected 53rd overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He played a full four-year college hockey career before turning professional within the Panthers organization in 2006–07. During his sixth season with the team, Booth was traded to the Canucks in October 2011. Known as an offensive forward and a fast skater, he has reached the 30-goal plateau once in his NHL career.

Amateur career
After playing minor hockey with Detroit Honeybaked of the Midwest Elite Hockey League, Booth moved on to the Junior A level with the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). He recorded 30 points (17 goals and 13 assists) over 42 games in 2000–01, earning him NAHL All-Rookie Team and Rookie of the Year honours. The following season, he joined the United States National Team Development Program and competed for their junior and under-18 teams in the United States Hockey League and NAHL, respectively.

During his time with the development program, he committed to the Michigan State Spartans of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Joining the Spartans in 2002–03, he recorded 36 points (17 goals and 19 assists) over 39 games, ranking 4th in team scoring and 13th in the CCHA overall. His freshman year included two CCHA Rookie of the Week distinctions and a hat trick, recorded on January 10, 2003, in a 5–2 win against the Alaska Nanooks. His efforts as a freshman earned him Spartans Rookie of the Year and CCHA All-Rookie Team honours. Although Booth was eligible for the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, NCAA rules stipulated that players under the age of 19 could not opt into the draft without foregoing their college eligibility.

Early the following season, Booth sustained a knee injury that force him out of the lineup. He finished his sophomore year with 18 points (8 goals and 10 assists) over 30 games. Despite decreased production in his draft-year for the National Hockey League (NHL), he remained highly-ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) at the end of the season. He was listed at 27th among skaters playing in North America by the CSB, while The Hockey News ranked him 33rd overall. During the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Booth was selected in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Florida Panthers. He was scouted as a player with size and toughness, while a USA Today article declared that he "would have gone mch higher if he opted into the draft [the previous] season."

Following his draft, Booth returned to Michigan State to complete his four-year tenure with the school. During his junior year, he and teammate Bryan Lerg set a Spartans record for the fastest two goals scored in a game (five seconds apart). Their goals came in a 6–5 overtime loss to the Alaska Nanooks in February 2005 and surpassed the previous record by one second. Later that month, Booth was sustained a cracked rib and was sidelined for several games. He finished the 2004–05 season with 16 points (7 goals and 9 assists) over 29 games.

In the first month of his senior year, Booth played in his 100th career college game against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux on October 16, 2005, a contest in which he recorded a shorthanded goal in a 3–0 win. Booth later missed some playing time due to injury before returning to the lineup in late-November 2005. After struggling to score in the first half of the 2005–06 season (he recorded nine points in the first three months), Booth finished with 35 points (13 goals and 22 assists) over 37 games. His production included an 11-game point-scoring streak that was broken on the last regular season game against the Miami RedHawks. In the CCHA playoffs, Booth helped the Spartans to a Mason Cup championship. Moving on to the 2006 NCAA Tournament, they were eliminated in the regional final by the Maine Black Bears. Over four years with the Spartans, Booth finished his college career with 105 points in 134 games.

Florida Panthers (2006–11)
On July 20, 2006, Booth signed with the Panthers. Joining the organization for the subsequent season, he was assigned to the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans, to start 2006–07. Within two months, he was called up to the Panthers on November 20, making his NHL debut that night against the Boston Bruins. After being returned to the AHL six days later, he received another call-up the following month and recorded his first NHL point on December 12 against the Anaheim Ducks. Several games later, he scored his first NHL goal on January 4, 2007 against the Calgary Flames. He also recorded his first multi-point NHL game (two assists) on March 17 against the New York Islanders. In the final month of the campaign, he registered his first game-winning goal on April 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Booth completed his rookie NHL season with 10 points over 48 games, while also recording 14 points over 25 AHL games.

Early in the 2007–08 season, Booth was injured after receiving a check from behind during a game against the Ottawa Senators on October 20, 2007. While playing the puck, he was bodychecked by Senators defenceman Anton Volchenkov, causing his head to hit the end boards. Volchenkov received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct on the play, while Booth was taken off the ice in a stretcher. He was brought to an Ottawa hospital for precautionary measurses and was returned home the same night with a sore neck. While suspension for Volchenkov was suggested in the media following the game, the league chose not to hold a hearing regarding the incident. Senators head coach John Paddock was quick to dismiss the notion of suspension, as well, asserting that Booth turned into Volchenkov, as opposed to the Senators defenceman forcefully initiating contact. Booth missed one game due to the injury. Later in the campaign, he missed eight games with a knee injury. Missing nine games total, he recorded 40 points over 73 contests.

The following season, Booth recorded his first career NHL hat trick against the Anaheim Ducks on November 9, 2008. He recorded another hat trick against the St. Louis Blues on March 1, 2009. Booth improved to 31 goals and 60 points, while missing 10 games with injury in his third NHL season.

During the first month of the 2009–10 season, Booth sustained a concussion after being hit by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards during a game on October 24, 2009. Skating up to the Flyers' blueline, Booth had shot the puck into the offensive zone when Richards hit him with his shoulder in the head. Rendered unconscious, Booth was taken off the ice on a stretcher and brought to a Philadelphia hospital. In addition to his concussion, he sustained a cut above one eye that required stitches; he was released the next day. While Richards received a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for intent to injure, he was not suspended for the play. The decision not to further penalize Richards proved to be a highly contentious issue. Panthers general manager Randy Sexton and defenceman Keith Ballard voiced their opinion that Richards's hit was directed at the head while knowing Booth was in a vulnerable position. The Flyers captain expressed concern for Booth's health both in the media and to Panthers head coach Peter DeBoer personally, but asserted that he was not intending to hurt him. Another concern was the timing of Richards' hit, as Booth had already release the puck. In response, NHL vice president Bill Daly explained that the hit was not late enough to warrant suspension.

Booth returned to the lineup in January 2010 after missing 45 games with the head injury. During his absence, the Panthers and Flyers played each other on December 21, 2009, for the first time since Richards' hit. The game included four fights, including one between Panthers defenceman and captain Bryan McCabe and Richards. The teams met again with Booth in the lineup on March 3, 2010. After fighting Richards in the first period (one of four fights in the game and Booth's first in the NHL), Booth scored a goal and three assists (completing a Gordie Howe hat trick) to help the Panthers to a 7–4 win.

Although the league had not suspended Richards for his actions against Booth, the incident was instrumental in the league's newfound efforts to eliminate hits to the head, particularly against unsuspecting players (as was the case with Booth). Several months after Booth's October 2009 concussion, Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard was hit by Matt Cooke in a similar fashion on March 7. Later that month, on March 25, the NHL Board of Governors and NHL Players Association's executive board voted in favour of a rule penalizing "blindside hits" (bodychecking a player after having skated laterally towards him in his "blind spot". That same night, Booth suffered his concussion in five months during a game against the Montreal Canadiens. While reaching back to retrieve a loose puck, Booth was hit in the head by opposing defenceman Jaroslav Spacek's shoulder. No penalty was called on the play, while Booth was helped off the ice and taken to hospital. The hit did not receive suspension and did not spark controversy as Booth's previous concussion had. Following the game, Panthers forward Nathan Horton asserted that "It wasn't a dirty hit"; Spacek expressed concern for Booth, but explained that "when he turned I was standing right there and basically he just ran at me." Sidelined for the remaining nine games of the season, he finished the campaign with 16 points (8 goals and 8 assists) over 28 games.

While Booth's hockey-playing future was in doubt following his second concussion, he returned for the 2010–11 season and played all 82 games. Averaging 19 minutes of ice time per game, he recorded 40 points (23 goals and 17 assists). With 280 shots, including a 14-shot effort against the Bruins on November 18, 2010, he led all Panthers' players and ranked 12th in the NHL overall. As a team, the Panthers continued to struggle and began trading away many of their veteran players towards the end of the season; they finished with the worst record in the East.

Vancouver Canucks (from 2011)
Less than a month into the 2011–12 season, Booth was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on October 22, 2011. The Panthers sent him, along with forward Steven Reinprecht and a third round pick in the 2013 draft, to Vancouver in exchange for forwards Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm. Booth was admittedly surprised at the trade, while reports out of Florida suggested that Booth was made expendable by Florida in part to his slow start to the season; he registered one assist over the first six games while being demoted to the third line. Booth had also been reportedly sought after by Vancouver for six months prior; the team conferred with alternate captain Ryan Kesler regarding Booth's character on and off the ice (the two grew up playing minor and junior hockey together). Joining Vancouver, he switched his jersey number from 10 to 7, in honour of his younger sister, Rachael, who also wears the number as a hockey player.

Playing on the second line with countrymen Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins, the scoring unit was immediately nicknamed the "American Express" line. Within several games, however, Higgins was replaced by Canadian Cody Hodgson. He scored his first goal as a Canuck 15 days after the trade, opening the scoring in a 6–2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Playing style
At 6 feet (1.83 metres) and 212 pounds (96 kilograms), Booth's size enables him to play in the style of a power forward. Along with his physical stature, he is a fast skater, both of which allow him to retain the puck and contribute to his offensive skills.

Personal life
Booth was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in the nearby Washington Township of Macomb County. His father's name is Mike. Booth has two brothers and one sister, Rachael. He watched the Detroit Red Wings growing up, as his family owned season tickets. His favourite player has been listed as Keith Tkachuk. During Booth's minor hockey career, he was linemates with fellow Michigan-native Ryan Kesler for two years, beginning at age 12. The two went on to become teammates with the U.S. National Development Team Program, the U.S. national junior team and the Vancouver Canucks.

Booth earned his secondary education at Lutheran High School North in Macomb and Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He moved to and graduated from the latter to facilitate his participation with the United States National Development Program, which was based out of Ann Arbor.

During Booth's career with the Panthers, he lived with his younger brother in Florida.

Awards

 * NAJHL All-Rookie Team - 2001
 * NAJHL Rookie of the Year - 2001
 * CCHA All-Rookie Team - 2003
 * Mason Cup (CCHA championship with the Michigan State Spartans) - 2006