VANCOUVER -- David Booth will put months of rehabilitation from an ankle injury to the test on Saturday. The Vancouver winger is slated to play his first game since March as the Canucks visit the Edmonton Oilers in an NHL pre-season game. "Its been a long time since Ive played, so theres going to be certain things that youre going to have to work out, whether its the first period, the second period, first game, second game," Booth said after practice Friday. "But if I can get a couple games in here before (the season), I think that will really help." Booth, one of Vancouvers highest-paid players at US$4.25 million per season, will use the game as part of his effort to improve on a lockout-shortened season in which he scored just one goal -- into an empty net -- and added two assists in 12 games. His season ended prematurely when he suffered a broken ankle and ligament damage that required surgery in a March 16 game against Detroit. "Its not going to be on my mind," he said of the injury. "I cant go in there thinking Im going to be tentative." The 28-year-old Detroit native hopes to get comfortable again with the speed of the game, which he thinks will pose his "biggest problem." "The physical, play, the balance, all that stuff, will take time," he said. The first hit, he added, will wake him up and assist in improving those aspects. Booth has already taken some hits publicly for his enigmatic play and boasts about his hunting conquests off the ice. A former 30-goal scorer with Florida, he has yet to excel with the Canucks after two seasons marred by injuries and inconsistency. Prior to being sidelined with the leg injury, Booth missed some games due to a groin injury during on-ice testing in training camp. With his health improved, he is hoping to make an impact with the Canucks as they attempt to atone for first-round playoff exits the past two seasons. "I think I can contribute more than I ever have," he said. "I really believe that. Ive worked hard this off-season to get back to where I need to be for the season. I know (Im) not going to just jump in and be 100 per cent right away, and thats going to be frustrating. "But Im playing with some really good teammates and good linemates. If I can get a chance with Ryan (Kesler) and Alex (Burrows), I think that will help my game a lot." Booth is getting a bit of late start in the pre-season, because he was still not cleared to play after arriving for training camp. He just resumed on-ice workouts this week after spending the summer working out in Florida and flying back to Vancouver for medical appointments. "From the time that I was in a boot, I couldnt walk for six to eight weeks," he said. "I worked out my upper body and I got really strong up there. But then when I was able to start rehabbing my ankle and start doing a little bit more conditioning, I started doing more agility stuff, balance stuff, biometric stuff. "That didnt really start until August, and that was frustrating, because usually Im doing that stuff in May and just keep building and building. a But it is a long process and Im still on the upward." At one point during his rehab period, Booth bulked up because he had watched Chicago Blackhawks winger Bryan Bickell in the regular season and playoffs with the Stanley Cup champions. But the Canucks winger soon realized that he and Bickell have different styles. "I was 237 up there, and I cant skate when Im like that," he said. "I cant feel the puck. I cant doing anything. Watching the playoffs and watching Bickell and seeing how good of a season and playoffs he had, I was (thinking) I had to get big, because I was watching him play and he was very effective out there. "But thats not my game. I have speed. I still think I can be stronger on the puck without all the extra upper-body weight." Vancouver head coach John Tortorella is still trying to figure out what kind of game Booth can offer the Canucks. The new coach saw Booth play many times while he coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and the winger toiled for the Panthers. But Tortorella wants to see more of him with the Canucks before making an assessment. "Ive seen him practise once, so I have no impression," said Tortorella. "I know what he is. Ive seen him play in the league, but I cant give you an impression on what he is right now." Notes: Tortorella will go behind the bench for the first time in the pre-season in Edmonton. He watched the first two pre-season games from the clubs management box in the rafters. a The Canucks held two early-morning practices, with the first group starting at 7:30 a.m., before taking part in the teams annual charity golf tournament held in USA Soccer Jerseys China . Returning to Davis Cup tennis, Federer cruised past Ilija Bozoljac, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in less than two hours. 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Manning and the Denver Broncos waited eight long months, then another 33 minutes to get the season started because of a lightning storm.RENTON, Wash. -- With all the setbacks Percy Harvin has faced in his first season with Seattle, it would be easy to dwell on the problems. Harvin is trying not to linger on the past, whether it was his hip surgery and recovery that kept him out of 15 of 16 regular-season games or the concussion that left him a spectator for the NFC championship game. Not with the Seahawks headed for a Super Bowl matchup against Denver. "Its been a roller coaster, but its all been a blessing. I wouldnt take anything back that happened this year. Its made me a stronger person," Harvin said on Thursday. "Its definitely been frustrating for a lot of people, not only myself but my teammates. Doug (Baldwin), some of the guys playing my position, not knowing whether Im going to be at practice. So it was definitely frustrating but its all over now. We get to play for the Super Bowl. Thats all in the past." Harvin returned to practice Wednesday after passing the leagues concussion protocol following the concussion he suffered in the NFC divisional playoff game against New Orleans. The injury was the latest bump in a season filled with starts and stops for Harvin. First was the trade from Minnesota and a lucrative contract with Seattle. Then came the discovery of a damaged labrum in his hip that required surgery in early August and caused him to miss the first 10 games of the regular season. When he returned in Week 11, Harvin was used sparingly, but the amount was too much for his hip and complications followed. He returned for the playoffs and was a significant part of Seattles game plan against the Saints in the divisional round when the next setback hit. Harvins head bounced off the turf of CenturyLink Field after leaping for a pass in the end zone in the second quarter of Seattles 23-15 win. And again, Harvin was left to be a spectator. "Frustrating. Thats the word that Ill use.dddddddddddd This whole year watching every single game was frustrating," Harvin said. "But like I said having great teammates, great coaches it was good to be on the sideline and watch those guys perform." Hitting his head on the turf, just as New Orleans safety Malcolm Jenkins was hitting him in the back, was the second big hit Harvin took against the Saints. He said Thursday he did not believe he was being targeted. Harvin was hit by safety Rafael Bush in the first quarter of the game, a hit that drew a 15-yard penalty and a $21,000 fine from the NFL. "I thought they were just playing football," said Harvin, who said his history with migraines had no influence on the speed of his recovery from the concussion. The opportunities Harvin got against the Saints showed just what he could add to Seattles offence. He was used as a runner on a sweep to the perimeter that went for 9 yards and could have gone for more. Seattle tried to find him on deep routes down the seam of the defence and also underneath crossing patterns. He was also a successful decoy. On Marshawn Lynchs 15-yard touchdown run against the Saints, Harvin faked that he was about to catch a screen pass. The defence reacted and Lynch had a cutback lane open en route to the end zone. "Last year when we prepared for Percy, there were just so many things that we had to look for in a guy like him," Seattle safety Kam Chancellor said. "Its a guy that can be in the backfield, a guy that can be split out at receiver, its just so many ways you can use him." Despite all the setbacks, Harvins not viewing the Super Bowl as an opportunity to salvage his season. "Im trying to go out there and win a Super Bowl. Im not trying to save or be a hero or do anything," Harvin said. "Im trying to go out there and prepare to play a game I know how to play." ' ' '