VANCOUVER - We were going to lead with an unexplained reference to the Six Million Dollar Man. But this being a sports column in the 21st century, that would only confuse readers who would think, naturally, of such National Hockey League luminaries as Brooks Orpik or Matt Carle, or maybe any left-handed middle reliever in baseball.

The Six Million Dollar Man was Steve Austin. No, not the “Stone Cold” wrestler, but the television astronaut from the 1970s whose test plane crashed and burned into a million tiny fragments, although miraculously most of the pilot and all his vital organs survived intact.

Script writers had the power to rebuild him “better, stronger, faster” than he was before with bionic limbs that allowed Austin to run 60 mph, mostly in slow motion and with awesome hair.

And had Dan Hamhuis been born a few years earlier than 1982, he might have felt Monday like the Six Million Dollar Man, even if his Vancouver Canuck salary is an extremely reasonable $4.25 million. He’ll see about faster, but Hamhuis is pretty sure he is better and stronger than he was before tearing his right groin muscle in a game on Nov. 20.

Austin had the top-secret bionics program. Hamhuis has renowned physiotherapist Rick Celebrini and the Canucks’ Human Performance team.

“With this injury, we actually see it as an opportunity to build up everything around it,” Hamhuis said before flying Monday to Nashville, where the Canucks open a five-game trip Tuesday night. “With the two months I’ve had here to rehab this, I’m feeling stronger than at any point in my career -- my body, skating, all that. I’ve taken the time with some very high-end people getting me back to where I need to be and maybe even better.”

The summer hiring of Celebrini, the former Vancouver Whitecap who has worked with Canada’s national alpine ski and soccer teams and was chief therapist for the 2010 Olympic team, was overshadowed by the hiring of a couple of other guys: general manager Jim Benning and coach Willie Desjardins.

The founder and director of sports medicine of the Fortius Institute in Burnaby, Celebrini was a great recruit by Canuck president Trevor Linden.

Hamhuis probably won’t play in Nashville, but could return to the lineup either Thursday in Philadelphia or Friday in Carolina. If he does, his absence will be weeks shorter than initially feared by the Canucks, who have increasingly missed their No. 2 defenceman.

Hamhuis sat out two NHL games with a sore groin last February, shortly before winning an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada. Hamhuis also suffered a groin injury, among other damage, on a hip check he made on Boston Bruin Milan Lucic during the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

The Canuck, who turned 32 in December, said it is an area that has always been susceptible to injury for him, which is why he is excited to feel not only recovered from his groin tear two months ago but stronger and more sound structurally than he has ever been.

“Over my career, it’s something I’ve had a few issues with,” Hamhuis said. “This was a really good opportunity to look at it and strengthen the whole area.

“Rick has a very special skill set in dealing with this type of injury. He’s one of the best in the world at it. He has taken the lead on the rehab portion. The whole process has been huge, and it’s a big reason why I’m ahead of schedule.”

Besides Celebrini, Hamhuis praised the work of Canuck strength coaches Roger Takahashi and Eric Renaghan, assistant medical trainer Dave Zarn and skills coach Glenn Carnegie. The defenceman has also worked with skating coach Barb Aidelbaum.

He has been practising with the Canucks since Thursday.

Despite Hamhuis’ uneven form early in the season as he experimented with various face shields after suffering a badly broken nose in Game 3, the Canucks were 13-6-1 with the Smithers native in their lineup. They are 10-8-2 without him, and the Canucks have struggled for consistency and continuity on defence beyond the top pairing of Alex Edler and Chris Tanev.

“I think we’ve really missed him,” Desjardins said after Monday morning’s practice at Rogers Arena. “Maybe early, we got away with some stuff. . . and we were winning some games. I think lately (his absence has) shown a little bit. We just miss his presence back there as a guy that can play against any type of player.

“I’m hoping he’ll play on this trip. Like I said before, that’s still way faster than we thought. So if he doesn’t play on this trip, there’s no alarm to it. But I’m hoping he plays on this trip.”

Hamhuis said there was a discussion about staying out until after the NHL All-Star break, which follows this road trip. But unless there is a setback, he should play later this week.

“If it’s ready, it’s ready,” Hamhuis said. “Everything we’ve done has been thought out.”

He feels like six million bucks.

imacintyre@vancouversun.comTwitter.com/imacvansun