If they want to, an NHL player’s professional career can continue long after he leaves the league. David Booth, who has played just 28 NHL games since 2014-15, has signed another contract in Norway for the rest of the season. He’ll move to Storhamar, after suiting up for Manglerud in 2019-20 and Valerenga in 2021-22.
Booth, 38, was once a solid top-six player in the NHL, scoring 31 goals in the 2008-09 season for the Florida Panthers and totaling 236 points in his career. In 2015, he left for the KHL, before making a short comeback with the Detroit Red Wings in 2017-18.
Last season playing in Norway he dominated, scoring 15 goals and 29 points in 15 games, before putting up a similar pace in the playoffs.
Playing in a league several levels below NHL hockey isn’t for everyone, obviously, but Booth has long been described as a “different cat” who enjoys living in more remote areas. Hamar, where the team is located, has fewer than 30,000 people and is located on the largest lake in Norway.