Although most professional athletes encounter twists and turns along their path to the top, few can describe their careers as a journey. Yet, for Colorado Eagles right wing Darryl Bootland, no other word seems fitting.

The term “journeyman” is all-too-frequently thrown around when describing well-traveled players, but few can stamp their names across so many rosters as Bootland. Entering his 14th year as a full-fledged professional, Bootland has played on more than a dozen different teams, spanning five leagues and two continents. At 33 years old, he’s not done yet.

“I started skating when I was real young,” Bootland recounts, “My friends and my brother and I would skate the ponds and the ditches. Skate to each other’s houses. When the basketball courts would freeze over, we’d skate those too.”

In Bootland’s eyes, hockey was always in the cards.

“My brother played and my dad was a coach. I always knew I wanted to be a hockey player as far back as I can remember.

“I was lucky getting to watch my brother go through [the NHL draft]. He got the name out there. It was an amazing experience when I was drafted, being surrounded by all these experienced players. I got to know how the guys lived their lives, got to know their stories. I was young and dumb,” Bootland recalls in jest, “but I definitely listened.”

Bootland was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche, but never made it to the NHL club, playing instead for four years relatively close to home in the Ontario Hockey League before signing a free agent contract with the storied Red Wings of Detroit in 2002. He spent parts of the next two years between Detroit’s AHL affiliate, Grand Rapids, and the ECHL’s Toledo Storm before getting the call from Hockeytown.

At age 22, after just 22 games with the big club, Bootland was sent back to Grand Rapids. Getting from the Griffins back to the Red Wings took nearly all of three more seasons. From the Red Wings to the New York Islanders and then the Anaheim Ducks organization, Bootland’s career could be described as nothing short of well-traveled. Yet despite it’s many twists and turns, Bootland views his journey as one melded with his character.

“It’s not too hard to jump around. I’ve been doing it since I was 15. It comes with the territory as a hockey player. I also have a great support system in my wife,” says Bootland. “She’s from Texas and when I met her she didn’t know anything about hockey, but she’s great now. She gets into the games and cheers loud.”

In the winter of 2008, Bootland’s journey took him across the ocean to Austria where he played briefly for Salzburg EC.

“It was different over there,” Bootland recalls. “They throw you in the penalty box for barely touching a guy and send you home with sniffles. I didn’t like that. It was fun, but I prefer North American hockey.”

Speaking on his reputation for “light touches,” Bootland describes his willingness to drop his gloves with the air of a confident and seasoned warrior: “I like putting the puck in the net and scoring goals first and foremost, but I gotta take care of my guys too.”

In September of 2009, Bootland’s travels would see him sign with the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings, a team directed and coached by his brother. From there, Bootland departed again for Austria before returning to the States for a stint with the Islanders Central Hockey League affiliate, the Odessa Jackalopes. From the Jackalopes it was back to Kalamazoo for a year. In the 2011-12 season, Bootland recorded his best numbers in five years, racking up 53 points. The following year, Bootland signed with the CHL’s Allen Americans where he played for two seasons. After that it was back to the ECHL where Bootland and the Colorado Eagles signed a contract in August of 2014.

Age notwithstanding, Bootland describes his energy as the key component of his play.

“I’m a loud guy. That’s just something I can’t take out of my game.”

It’s an extra “oomph” on the ice that former Kalamazoo Wings and current Colorado Eagles teammate Trent Daavettila can vouch for.

“He’s a high energy guy who can always provide that spark for the team. We played on the same line back in Kalamazoo and had a natural chemistry,” says Daavettila. “I got a knack for finding him and he’s got a knack for puttin’ the puck in the back of the net. After two years we picked up right where we left off here in Colorado.”

A place, according to Daavettila, where the Bootland name preceded the player.

“Guys know his résumé, know his background,” he says of Bootland. “They know he’s had success at many different levels and leagues and they follow his lead.”

Ever humble, Bootland views his long years in the game as tools of guidance for his younger teammates.

“It’s great helping the younger guys,” he says. “Watching them improve their game, pushing them towards their NHL dreams.”

True to his reputation, Bootland is steadfast about his goals, which have persisted since he was a teenager.

“Obviously you always hope to make it back to the League,” Bootland admits. “But I love playing for the Eagles. My family and I love it in Colorado. We’ve wanted to live here after hockey for a long time now.”

To many, “after hockey” seems like a time that will never come for Darryl Bootland, but for the man himself, it’s another part of the journey.

“I have a few ideas on the side outside of hockey, but my love of the game is never gonna go away,” he says.

When asked how he wants to be remembered, he responds simply: “As a guy you loved having on your team and hated playing against. One who was passionate, got in your face and did whatever it took.”

That “whatever” has meant a long and sometimes distant journey, but as such, it’s likely Bootland will get his wish.