David Booth traded flip-flops and the white sand for snowshoes and the white stuff during the NHL all-star break, which tells you a few things about the Vancouver Canucks winger.

Even amid the solitude of a five-day break in the Whistler mountains, the workout fiend still found a way to push the limits on those long solo treks to ensure he can build upon scoring in the last three games and put a recent knee injury far in the rear-view mirror. And he’s also had enough sun during five seasons in Florida.

“I go on my own and follow my tracks up and back,” Booth said Monday of his snow expeditions. “I’ve always enjoyed hiking and have always enjoyed the view from the top of the mountain. It’s fun to hike with snow up to your knees and I enjoy that kind of stuff. You can feel the wind cruising by and you just kind of hunker down low. It’s tough work but it keeps me in shape, too.”

Booth actually stayed off the ice during the break, which is a story on its own. Then again, he managed to hit the gym, do some biking and take in a spinning class. Encouraged to tone down his fitness regimen after being acquired from the Panthers on Oct. 22, the Detroit native needed seven games to score his first goal Nov. 6 during a 6-2 win at Chicago. But he then suffered a sprained right knee one month later and the jury was out on when Booth would return and how effective he would actually be. His contract calls for three more seasons at $4.25 million US annually and that’s a heavy investment in a player who has had two serious concussions. Medically cleared a week before returning Jan. 15, his instant effectiveness on a strong second line with Ryan Kesler and Chris Higgins bodes well for another run at Western Conference supremacy.

“I’m pleasantly surprised how he came back from that injury,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. “I really wasn’t quite sure what to expect because before the injury he was really coming along. It was more concern about how long the injury would take and that’s where you’ve got to trust players. They know their bodies and when they’re ready.

“Every game he’s coming along and you can see he’s more confident and understanding more of what’s expected from this group.”

That was evident in a pre-break 3-2 shootout victory over Edmonton. Booth snapped the 1-1 stalemate by going flat out on his stomach to ram home a rebound with Taylor Hall draped on his back. It’s the kind of goals that Booth scores when he’s at his best and he knows that second-half markers are always harder to come by as the intensity increases.

“That’s where I get my goals,” added Booth. “I had one go off the crossbar [against the Oilers] and one of the knob of the [goalie’s] stick and those are good confidence builders. It helps us a lot that Hank, Dany and Burr take the top defencemen from the other team and that takes a little pressure off us and makes it a little easier.

“But it’s also a different league from east to west. It seems a little faster-paced and maybe it’s the guys I’m playing with. They’re flying and everyone gets up to play Vancouver and that could be a part of it, too.”

None of the enthusiasm and effort from Booth surprises Higgins. They were teammates in Florida and formed a mutual admiration — Booth marvelling at the way Higgins can ramp up his game and Higgins amazed at the level of Booth’s fitness — and that could help carry the Canucks a long way. Higgins plays his best hockey in the postseason and Booth has yet to get there in five seasons. The Canucks trail conference-leading Detroit by three games and have a game in hand and the jockeying for postseason seeding will be fierce.

“I just enjoy it more and as the season goes along, every little play means so much more,” said Higgins. “Those little things that go unnoticed get noticed a little more and it’s a pleasure to play when guys are into the game so much and making every game count. The competitive level makes our line what it is. We play a pretty simple straight-ahead game and have the mindset that it’s our puck and we want it all the time and when we don’t have it, we’re going to get it back quick.”

Getting away from the game can be as crucial as being in it at key moments. And while Booth is wired differently than many NHL players — he has strong religious beliefs and exudes the most positive outlook on his profession and lifestyle — the fun side takes a back seat when it’s time to get serious. As much as Booth looked a little lost and pressed hard to make an immediate impact in hoping to mirror the 31 goals he scored in 2008-08, Higgins knows the recent goals will only fuel Booth. And maybe after the next hike, Booth will bring a fresh kill into the locker-room and feed the masses.

“He’s got his own unique style to begin with, so that really wouldn’t surprise me at this point,” chuckled Higgins. “I admire his commitment and that’s why he fits well. Guys are committed to being better every day.”

bkuzma@theprovince.com

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