Former NHLer David Booth is the ultimate hockey journeyman, playing all over the world, including Hungary, Australia and now Scotland. Melbourne Ice coach shares how Booth ended up on the other side of the world.
David Booth has taken the journeyman role to a new level.
While he played for four teams in his NHL career, which spanned more than 500 games, since leaving North America, the 41-year-old has spent time in Russia, Norway, Germany, Hungary, Australia, and, most recently, Scotland.
It was, however, in Australia where Booth made his biggest impact, helping the Melbourne Ice to a championship last season while scoring 64 points in 14 games.
“We were dominating the whole year before he came,” Melbourne right winger Joakim Erdugan said. "And when he came, we were just adding even more to the fire. He was always scoring.”
Erdugan was one of several Ice players who were in Toronto on Thursday, when the Hockey Hall of Fame honored the Australian team with the Goodall Cup, which is the third-oldest championship trophy in hockey behind the Stanley Cup (1893) and the Allan Cup (1908).
According to Ice coach Kerry Goulet, convincing Booth to come to Australia was a lot easier than you might imagine — even if he had been playing in Hungary at the time.
"I called him and said, 'I’m looking for an import for the Melbourne Ice. I know you’re just getting at the tail-end of your career. Would you and your family be interested?'" said Goulet, who had previously met Booth during a 2015 Australian Ice Hockey Classic charity game in Australia that was organized by Goulet. “And I got an answer within half an hour: 'Yes, I would like to come down.'
"We got very lucky to have a guy with over 300 games in the (NHL) to come down to Australia, where hockey is a growing sport," Goulet said.
Phil Pritchard and Kerry Goulet (by Ismail Fasih)While the hockey season in Australia begins in April, Booth waited until his season in Hungary was finished before joining the Ice in June. He played in only 14 games but made quite an impact, averaging 4.6 points per game.
"I didn’t know anything about a league in Australia,” Booth, who is currently playing for the Fife Flyers in Scotland, told NHL.com. “I had no idea it even existed."
It turned out to be the best decision he made. And for that, Booth credits the man who convinced him to come to Australia.
"Next to Jacques Martin in Florida, my Australian coach, Kerry Goulet, was the best coach I ever had," Booth told NHL.com.
While concussions and other injuries may have cut short Booth’s promising NHL career, his international hockey career hasn’t ended.
If anything, the time spent on the trainer’s table forced the Detroit native to take even better care of his body as he continues to travel the world and play the game he loves.
"At 40 years old, I knew he was very disciplined with his body," Goulet said. "When he suffered his concussion, obviously, he needed to take care of his body more, and that really helped him understand the importance of eating, proper workouts, proper sleeps. He was severely concussed, and it changed and derailed him in the NHL.
"At (his age), I’ve never seen a guy with such a physique who not only takes care of his body but also his mental state."
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