Booth, brains and business.

[Canorcas]

It must be a difficult time to be a David Booth fan these days. There’s not much love in this city for the eccentric 28-year old, who came over from the Florida Panthers in 2011.

Since then, Booth has scored 18 goals and 35 points in 79 games. If those 79 games were over the course of a single season and not bits and pieces over two years, they wouldn’t be so bad. But considering Booth has spent more time in the infirmary than on the ice, there hasn’t been much traction to the Support Booth movement.

To be fair, Booth’s $4.25 million dollar contract was signed in the heels of a strong 2009 campaign with the Panthers. The Michigan native had put up 31 goals and 60 points with the lowly Panthers and seemed like the next big thing in the sunshine state.

Less than 3 months later, everything changed.

October 24^th, 2009. That is a date David Booth will never forget. It was the day that Booth’s career came to an abrupt halt.

Mike Richards, then with the Philadelphia Flyers, caught Booth with his head down and delivered what would surely be a suspension-worthy hit in today’s game.

The hit that changed everything.

Booth was sidelined indefinitely with a concussion and missed the next 45 games as a result.

That hit did more than just change Booth’s career. It changed NHL policy.

Shortly after that incident, Colin Campbell stepped down as the league’s disciplinarian and Brendan Shanahan took the job a few short weeks later. To this day, Shanahan has tried to send a message that headshots will no longer be the norm in professional hockey.

There was a general sense of agreement that headshots had to be eliminated from the game in order to protect players like Booth and Marc Savard. It was an ugly time for the league.

It is perplexing that Canucks fans aren’t more sympathetic to Booth who clearly has yet to pull himself together completely from that incident.

Beloved captain Markus Naslund had a similar regression after suffering his own headshot in 2004. We’re all too familiar with the Bertuzzi incident that occurred as a consequence of that. But it’s true, after suffering a hit to his head, Naslund was never quite the same.

Even after a lockout canceled the entire 2004-2005 season, Naslund came back in 2006 and looked slower and weaker. For the next four seasons, Nazzy would put up fewer numbers until he finally retired early in 2009, walking away from the second-year of his contract with the Rangers. Was his heart in the game? It seems obvious now that it was not. And that in itself was strange, as Naslund was a fierce competitor in his prime and wanted nothing more than to raise the Stanley Cup in Vancouver.

Concussions have serious after effects. It is quite literally a brain injury and it has long lasting effects even years after the original date of injury. It should be no surprise to anyone that David Booth has yet to fully emerge in Vancouver. He’s been looking for his game for the past several years now and was quietly shipped out of Florida due to these lingering effects. They simply didn’t want to deal with the trouble of looking after an expensive but broken player.

It is alarming that despite Booth’s relative young age and physical condition that he hasn’t been able to play a complete game. But age and physique is of little consequence when one’s brain is seriously injured. It hurts anyone and everyone in different ways.

There is still an opportunity for David Booth to become an important player for Vancouver. But don’t be fooled—he’ll never be that 30-goal scorer who rushes down the ice and slams the net. That style of play led to the most serious injury of his career—it’s hard to ask anyone to keep doing that and ignore the consequences. Not even Markus Naslund played the same after his own injury. Fans and management noticed a less-involved Naslund, often setting up perimeter plays and unwilling to get into high-traffic areas.

Booth is no exception here. He is human, just like the rest of us. When he stubs his toe, it hurts. When he hits his funny bone, it still smarts. And anyone who has suffered a concussion as seriously as he has would know how traumatic that experience must have been.

In the salary cap world of professional hockey though, players are criticized over and over why they aren’t scoring enough goals or enough points in contrast to their wage. It’s almost unfair how anyone can find out just how much money an athlete makes- that sort of information is generally kept private in most occupations. Would there be as many complaints if Booth was making league minimum? Probably not.

When his playing days are over, Booth will walk away from hockey with a brain injury that may continue to nag him for the rest of his life. Not convinced? Just ask Marc Savard or Chris Pronger what those injuries are like—they’ll be happy to educate you.

In the case of David Booth, we should be relieved that a player is still able to play after suffering such a devastating and serious injury. Not everything in hockey is business. And nothing in your brain is invulnerable.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

Awesome read! +1

[TOMapleLaughs]

So, the years-old concussion is to blame for him losing NHL goal-scoring ability? Doubt that.

He looked fine for us in 11-12 when he was on a streak alongside Kesler mid-season. Then he suffured a sprained knee and missed 18 games. He hasn't been the same for us since that 'meh' injury. And that's part of the frustration with him. Nothing but injuries, and they're not head-related at all.

Meanwhile, the Crosby recovery seems to be alright. And how about Willie Mitchell? He was better than ever duing LA's cup run. So no, concussions don't all have to be career-changers.

That being said, of course we knew the guy was going to be a project. Look how awful he was for the Panthers when we acquired him. The time for excuses is over though. It's time for results, or time to let the project die.

[Brick Tamland]

I like him, he is a bit flaky and injury prone. His skill set is so good. He is deadly fast and I think once healthy would be a nice fit with Santo and Burrows.

CDC trolls will shell out buckets of love for a guy like Schroeder, but the moment Booth admits to hunting or going to Church, people flip out.

Hockey is a game of injuries and Booths are real. He has never pulled a Hodgson. Let him recover and see what he brings. Aquilinis pay his salary, so who cares how much he makes.

[Brendan Gaunce]

Awesome read! +1

[Brick Tamland]

So, the years-old concussion is to blame for him losing NHL goal-scoring ability? Doubt that.

He looked fine for us in 11-12 when he was on a streak alongside Kesler mid-season. Then he suffured a sprained knee and missed 18 games. He hasn't been the same for us since that 'meh' injury. And that's part of the frustration with him. Nothing but injuries, and they're not head-related at all.

Meanwhile, the Crosby recovery seems to be alright. And how about Willie Mitchell? He was better than ever duing LA's cup run. So no, concussions don't all have to be career-changers.

That being said, of course we knew the guy was going to be a project. Look how awful he was for the Panthers when we acquired him. The time for excuses is over though. It's time for results, or time to let the project die.

Schroeder, Hansen et al have never put up the numbers booth has, give up on them as well? They are injured... Schroeder is prone. I am glad you are not in charge. Hockey is a game of injuries and reoccurring injuries...

[87Crosby]

So, the years-old concussion is to blame for him losing NHL goal-scoring ability? Doubt that.

He looked fine for us in 11-12 when he was on a streak alongside Kesler mid-season. Then he suffured a sprained knee and missed 18 games. He hasn't been the same for us since that 'meh' injury. And that's part of the frustration with him. Nothing but injuries, and they're not head-related at all.

Meanwhile, the Crosby recovery seems to be alright. And how about Willie Mitchell? He was better than ever duing LA's cup run. So no, concussions don't all have to be career-changers.

That being said, of course we knew the guy was going to be a project. Look how awful he was for the Panthers when we acquired him. The time for excuses is over though. It's time for results, or time to let the project die.

He was a first line player in Florida now he's lucky to not be a healthy scratch. and the Crosby analogy, Crosby got a concussion walking into Steckel while Booth gt rocked on a high hit from a streaking NHLer.

[Canorcas]

So, the years-old concussion is to blame for him losing NHL goal-scoring ability? Doubt that.

He looked fine for us in 11-12 when he was on a streak alongside Kesler mid-season. Then he suffured a sprained knee and missed 18 games. He hasn't been the same for us since that 'meh' injury. And that's part of the frustration with him. Nothing but injuries, and they're not head-related at all.

Meanwhile, the Crosby recovery seems to be alright. And how about Willie Mitchell? He was better than ever duing LA's cup run. So no, concussions don't all have to be career-changers.

That being said, of course we knew the guy was going to be a project. Look how awful he was for the Panthers when we acquired him. The time for excuses is over though. It's time for results, or time to let the project die.

You can't just judge every concussion the same. That sort of ignorance is what is so frustrating for players and medical personnel alike. Yes, Crosby is looking good. But how many games did he miss for Pittsburgh? Do you even remember how seriously he considered retiring?

And Marc Savard? It's been a "few years" from that injury and where is he now? Same for Chris Pronger. Pronger, who is maybe the strongest and toughest specimen in hockey in the past several generations. He's now literally unable to play hockey for the rest of his life.

Mitchell was on the shelf for a significant period of time and he isn't expected to score goals. Not a fair assessment but I'm glad Willie is doing well.

If you only choose to see things in black and white, you lose the meaning of this entire argument.

[Gollumpus]

Good post, OP.

regards,

G.

[beast1u]

So, the years-old concussion is to blame for him losing NHL goal-scoring ability? Doubt that.

He looked fine for us in 11-12 when he was on a streak alongside Kesler mid-season. Then he suffured a sprained knee and missed 18 games. He hasn't been the same for us since that 'meh' injury. And that's part of the frustration with him. Nothing but injuries, and they're not head-related at all.

Meanwhile, the Crosby recovery seems to be alright. And how about Willie Mitchell? He was better than ever duing LA's cup run. So no, concussions don't all have to be career-changers.

That being said, of course we knew the guy was going to be a project. Look how awful he was for the Panthers when we acquired him. The time for excuses is over though. It's time for results, or time to let the project die.

You're speaking from personal experience? Or is it from extensive research because you are in the medical profession?

..or possibly you could just be talking out of your arse?

[PhillipBlunt]

It must be a difficult time to be a David Booth fan these days. There’s not much love in this city for the eccentric 28-year old, who came over from the Florida Panthers in 2011.

Since then, Booth has scored 18 goals and 35 points in 79 games. If those 79 games were over the course of a single season and not bits and pieces over two years, they wouldn’t be so bad. But considering Booth has spent more time in the infirmary than on the ice, there hasn’t been much traction to the Support Booth movement.

To be fair, Booth’s $4.25 million dollar contract was signed in the heels of a strong 2009 campaign with the Panthers. The Michigan native had put up 31 goals and 60 points with the lowly Panthers and seemed like the next big thing in the sunshine state.

Less than 3 months later, everything changed.

October 24^th, 2009. That is a date David Booth will never forget. It was the day that Booth’s career came to an abrupt halt.

Mike Richards, then with the Philadelphia Flyers, caught Booth with his head down and delivered what would surely be a suspension-worthy hit in today’s game.

The hit that changed everything.

Booth was sidelined indefinitely with a concussion and missed the next 45 games as a result.

That hit did more than just change Booth’s career. It changed NHL policy.

Shortly after that incident, Colin Campbell stepped down as the league’s disciplinarian and Brendan Shanahan took the job a few short weeks later. To this day, Shanahan has tried to send a message that headshots will no longer be the norm in professional hockey.

There was a general sense of agreement that headshots had to be eliminated from the game in order to protect players like Booth and Marc Savard. It was an ugly time for the league.

It is perplexing that Canucks fans aren’t more sympathetic to Booth who clearly has yet to pull himself together completely from that incident.

Beloved captain Markus Naslund had a similar regression after suffering his own headshot in 2004. We’re all too familiar with the Bertuzzi incident that occurred as a consequence of that. But it’s true, after suffering a hit to his head, Naslund was never quite the same.

Even after a lockout canceled the entire 2004-2005 season, Naslund came back in 2006 and looked slower and weaker. For the next four seasons, Nazzy would put up fewer numbers until he finally retired early in 2009, walking away from the second-year of his contract with the Rangers. Was his heart in the game? It seems obvious now that it was not. And that in itself was strange, as Naslund was a fierce competitor in his prime and wanted nothing more than to raise the Stanley Cup in Vancouver.

Concussions have serious after effects. It is quite literally a brain injury and it has long lasting effects even years after the original date of injury. It should be no surprise to anyone that David Booth has yet to fully emerge in Vancouver. He’s been looking for his game for the past several years now and was quietly shipped out of Florida due to these lingering effects. They simply didn’t want to deal with the trouble of looking after an expensive but broken player.

It is alarming that despite Booth’s relative young age and physical condition that he hasn’t been able to play a complete game. But age and physique is of little consequence when one’s brain is seriously injured. It hurts anyone and everyone in different ways.

There is still an opportunity for David Booth to become an important player for Vancouver. But don’t be fooled—he’ll never be that 30-goal scorer who rushes down the ice and slams the net. That style of play led to the most serious injury of his career—it’s hard to ask anyone to keep doing that and ignore the consequences. Not even Markus Naslund played the same after his own injury. Fans and management noticed a less-involved Naslund, often setting up perimeter plays and unwilling to get into high-traffic areas.

Booth is no exception here. He is human, just like the rest of us. When he stubs his toe, it hurts. When he hits his funny bone, it still smarts. And anyone who has suffered a concussion as seriously as he has would know how traumatic that experience must have been.

In the salary cap world of professional hockey though, players are criticized over and over why they aren’t scoring enough goals or enough points in contrast to their wage. It’s almost unfair how anyone can find out just how much money an athlete makes- that sort of information is generally kept private in most occupations. Would there be as many complaints if Booth was making league minimum? Probably not.

When his playing days are over, Booth will walk away from hockey with a brain injury that may continue to nag him for the rest of his life. Not convinced? Just ask Marc Savard or Chris Pronger what those injuries are like—they’ll be happy to educate you.

In the case of David Booth, we should be relieved that a player is still able to play after suffering such a devastating and serious injury. Not everything in hockey is business. And nothing in your brain is invulnerable.

Excellent read. Thank you.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

I still believe in Booth. Same with Schroeder.

[Bananas]

+1. A lot of fans in Vancouver are entitled little children. David's injuries affect his everyday life, not just his hockey career. For you, as fans, to take it so personally that he's on YOUR team -- taking time from YOUR young players, eating up YOUR cap space, and not scoring goals for YOUR entertainment -- is appalling.

Then you have the gaul to heckle his hobbies and beliefs, to boot!

EDIT: by "you", I don't mean you, OP. lol I thought I should make that clear

[Silfverberg Snipes]

Good read, not enough to make me support him though.

+1. A lot of fans in Vancouver are entitled little children. David's injuries affect his everyday life, not just his hockey career. For you, as fans, to take it so personally that he's on YOUR team -- taking time from YOUR young players, eating up YOUR cap space, and not scoring goals for YOUR entertainment -- is appalling.

Then you have the gaul to heckle his hobbies and beliefs, to boot!

EDIT: by "you", I don't mean you, OP. lol I thought I should make that clear

We're fans of the sport, and our team. If he's hampering the success of this club we have every right to be annoyed. Especially if his conditioning of all things is one of the biggest things holding him back. You would think that a guy who claims to want to be better and aims as high as the Olympics would put in the effort to be in tip top shape. Clearly not the case.

[Ronalds.Kenins41]

So, the years-old concussion is to blame for him losing NHL goal-scoring ability? Doubt that.

He looked fine for us in 11-12 when he was on a streak alongside Kesler mid-season. Then he suffured a sprained knee and missed 18 games. He hasn't been the same for us since that 'meh' injury. And that's part of the frustration with him. Nothing but injuries, and they're not head-related at all.

Meanwhile, the Crosby recovery seems to be alright. And how about Willie Mitchell? He was better than ever duing LA's cup run. So no, concussions don't all have to be career-changers.

That being said, of course we knew the guy was going to be a project. Look how awful he was for the Panthers when we acquired him. The time for excuses is over though. It's time for results, or time to let the project die.

That's right lets not forget that the knee sprain was the problem as he had 16 goals with us before the sprain and was playing really really good. I remember thinking we got a good deal during that time but after everything changed he got injured again which didn't make anything better and now he's finally healthy again after a hard year and a half.

[Ossi Vaananen]

It's well written, but some startling inaccuracies. In December 2009, Shanahan took the vice president position of business development. It wasn't until June 1, 2011 that he took the job in Player Safety. You should know this as this was when the Canucks were facing the Bruins, from which Colin Campbell's son played for. So it wasn't the Booth incident that changed NHL policy.

Additionally I don't feel the comparisons to Naslund and especially Savard/Pronger are accurate.

[gamasutra]

Nice post. +1

[Bananas]

Good read, not enough to make me support him though.

We're fans of the sport, and our team. If he's hampering the success of this club we have every right to be annoyed. Especially if his conditioning of all things is one of the biggest things holding him back. You would think that a guy who claims to want to be better and aims as high as the Olympics would put in the effort to be in tip top shape. Clearly not the case.

Hmm... when did Booth finally start skating this summer? September? He missed an entire summer of training, as well as training camp and pre-season, and you're constantly pissing and moaning - in every David Booth discussion on the forum - that he hasn't met your - a fan of the sport - golden standard of fitness?

And who the hell are you, exactly?

[Brick Tamland]

Good read, not enough to make me support him though.

We're fans of the sport, and our team. If he's hampering the success of this club we have every right to be annoyed. Especially if his conditioning of all things is one of the biggest things holding him back. You would think that a guy who claims to want to be better and aims as high as the Olympics would put in the effort to be in tip top shape. Clearly not the case.

It is obviously clear to most that his injuries weren't healed, thus leading to a difficulty in being in game shape. I am working through a torn ACL, trying to play anything but board games hurts. He is human.

[Brick Tamland]

Hmm... when did Booth finally start skating this summer? September? He missed an entire summer of training, as well as training camp and pre-season, and you're constantly pissing and moaning - in every David Booth discussion on the forum - that he hasn't met your - a fan of the sport - golden standard of fitness?

And who the hell are you, exactly?

Snipes is either an entitled little silver spoon fed kid or an overage, overweight 'couch coach'... Either way, the world revolves around their desires. Trade Booth for Crosby...