from Dana Wakiji of DetroitRedWings.com,

Although he hasn't played as much as he would have liked, David Booth has thoroughly enjoyed his season with the Detroit Red Wings.

Since the Wings sent Evgeny Svechnikov back to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins, along with defenseman Joe Hicketts and goaltender Thomas McCollum, it meant Booth will play the final two games.

"It is really exciting to finish off the season, playing in the last couple of games is pretty cool, especially (since) at the start of the year, the odds were against me being here this long," Booth said. "It's been a tough season for the team. We obviously did not reach our goal of getting into the playoffs. Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen.

"For me personally, it's been a fun year, even though you're not in the lineup - I don't fun is the right (word), but rewarding year, something I've enjoyed the most out of my professional career, just being around these guys. they've been really encouraging, whether it's because they didn't expect me to be here, kind of the underdog. They've been really great to me and fun to be around. It's like a family. Probably the best group of guys I've been around. That's what makes it fun for me."

What has also made it fun for Booth is getting a chance to play for the team he cheered for growing up as a Detroit native.

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added 2:07pm, from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

“I learned how hard it is to play in this league,” Mantha said Thursday. “We want to make the playoffs next year and we’ll have to show up from the start of the season till the end — we can’t have a big losing stretch like we did this year.”

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