Detroit, MI
Detroit Red Wings ride PP to OT in San Jose, but fall, 5-4, on Macklin Celebrini score
Rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini scored his first career overtime goal and William Eklund tallied twice to lead the host San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
Tyler Toffoli and Luke Kunin also scored and Alexander Wennberg produced two assists for the Sharks, who snapped a three-game losing skid (0-1-2). Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves.
Dylan Larkin had a goal and an assist while Marco Kasper, Michael Rasmussen and Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Red Wings, who have only one victory in six games (1-3-2). DeBrincat’s goal came with 2:06 remaining in regulation, knotting the game at 4-all with the Red Wings’ second score in three power plays. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 29 shots.
Celebrini, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, scored his first game-winning goal 46 seconds into overtime by lifting a shot as he headed across the crease. It was the rookie’s fourth goal of the campaign.
The Red Wings (7-9-2) saw three leads disappear and the Sharks (6-10-4) blew a third-period advantage in the back-and-forth affair.
Larkin opened the scoring 7:28 into the game by converting a wide-open chance coming after a Sharks turnover for his 11th of the season.
Eklund replied on the power play three minutes later when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot.
Kasper responded with a power-play marker when he buried a rebound with 72 seconds remaining in the first period for his second goal of the season.
Eklund tied the clash 2-2 at 5:59 of the second period with a long shot that Talbot mishandled with his glove to net his fourth of the season. Eklund has collected two goals and four assists in a four-game point streak.
Rasmussen put the Red Wings ahead a third time at 8:11 of the second period when he chipped the puck away from one Sharks player and it ricocheted off another San Jose defender and into the cage for his third goal this season.
Toffoli tied the clash again with another late-period goal, a perfect one-timer from the slot with 41.8 seconds remaining in the second for his ninth of the season.
Kunin gave the Sharks their first lead at 6:19 of the third period. He slipped behind a defender on the rush and upon gaining the puck in the slot snapped a top-corner shot for his third goal of the season.
DeBrincat forced overtime by converting the man advantage created by tripping call on Ty Dellandrea, netting his fourth goal of the season 1:20 into the power play.
The Wings wrapped up their four-game Pittsburgh/California road trip with three points — two against the Penguins last Wednesday and one Monday night. They return home for a stretch of five home games in six games, beginning Thursday with a visit from the New York Islanders.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Fire Department brings Christmas joy to family who lost everything in house fire
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Christmas came early for a Detroit family of 10 after the Detroit Fire Department surprised them with a truck full of gifts, nearly a year after they lost their home and all belongings in a devastating fire.
On Jan. 6, Raychelle Womack and her family were living in their home on Santa Rosa Drive near Fullerton Street when it caught fire. All their possessions were destroyed in the blaze.
Watch Demetrios Sanders’ video report below:
Family’s Christmas saved after fire
“You try buying everything for a new baby and then you lose it all, on top of the other seven kids that you’ve got — that’s everything,” Womack said.
As the family continued recovering from the fire, questions remained about what Christmas could look like this year.
“Whatever we could make happen, that’s what we’re going to make happen,” Womack said.
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That worry disappeared when the Detroit Fire Department and community partners visited the family’s new east side home with a truck full of Christmas gifts.
“To lose everything and then slowly but surely gain everything, it means a lot,” Womack said.
This marks the fourth year the Detroit Fire Department has brought Christmas cheer to families in need during the holidays.
WXYZ
“We know people lose everything in these fires, so if we can do anything to make their lives better, to make their lives easier, especially around the holiday season, we’re willing to do it,” said Chuck Simms, executive fire commissioner with the Detroit Fire Department.
Simms said the effort is driven by donations and brings joy not only to the families impacted but also to the first responders who participate.
“It’s just a great thing and nice thing for us to do,” Simms said.
WXYZ
With a Christmas tree now surrounded by gifts, Womack’s children are definitely looking forward to Christmas.
“It was nice and we appreciate it,” one child said.
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For Womack, only one challenge remains.
“Now it’s making sure everything (gifts) stays closed until Christmas,” Womack said.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Detroit, MI
Near 500 saves, Kenley Jansen joins Detroit Tigers without closer role
Detroit Tigers sign Kyle Finnegan, Kenley Jansen in MLB free agency
The Detroit Tigers signed relievers Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen to upgrade their bullpen. Evan Petzold and Chris Brown evaluate on “Days of Roar.”
Kenley Jansen is destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 38-year-old right-handed reliever is fourth on the all-time saves list, first on the active saves leaderboard, 24 saves away from the 500 milestone and just signed a one-year contract that guarantees $11 million.
But he hasn’t received the closer role from the Detroit Tigers for the 2026 season.
“Will we label Kenley the closer?” Tigers president baseball operations Scott Harris said Wednesday, Dec. 17, deferring to manager A.J. Hinch. “I don’t know. That’s going to be for A.J. to figure out. I’m just going to try to give him as many options as possible.”
Entering 2026, Jansen – a four-time All-Star in his 16-year MLB career – trails only three relievers on the saves list, all three of which are Hall of Famers: Lee Smith (478), Trevor Hoffman (601) and Mariano Rivera (652).
Before signing Jansen, the Tigers connected him with Hinch for an important phone call. For context, Hinch hasn’t named a full-time closer since left-hander Gregory Soto in 2021-22, instead favoring a bullpen that operates without defined roles.
Early signs suggest Jansen has already embraced the Tigers’ approach.
“From that conversation, we learned Kenley is all about winning,” Harris said of Jansen, who won the 2020 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. “He’s willing to pitch in any spot. He just wants to be in a winning environment. And he was really attracted to Detroit as a destination, which is a huge step forward for this organization.”
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With three more saves, Jansen will move into sole possession of third place.
He has secured at least four saves in each of his 16 seasons, along with 25 or more saves in each of the past 13 full seasons, not counting the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
“We liked a lot of things,” Harris said. “First of all, he’s one of the best to ever do it. I’ve admired him from afar – and up close for a few years. He brings a ton of success in the highest-leverage moments of games in the regular season and postseason.”
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In 2025, Jansen registered a 2.59 ERA with 19 walks and 57 strikeouts across 59 innings in 62 games for the Los Angeles Angels, racking up 29 saves in 30 opportunities.
His 8.1% walk rate ranked in the 46th percentile, while his 24.4% strikeout rate ranked in the 63rd percentile.
Many indicators foreshadow regression coming soon – most notably the lowest strikeout rate of his career, driven by his third-worst in-zone whiff rate and worst out-of-zone whiff rate over the past four seasons – but the Tigers believe in their future Hall of Fame reliever.
“The cutter still really plays,” Harris said. “He also has a two-seamer that misses bats, as well as a curveball. We think he’s going to miss plenty of bats for us. We think there are some things that we can do with sequencing and refining some of the shapes of his mix.”
The Tigers have pursued Jansen several times.
There was interest during the 2024-25 offseason, when he ultimately signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Angels, then at the 2025 trade deadline, when the Angels opted not to move him, and once again in the 2025-26 offseason, when the Tigers finally signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract, which includes a $12 million club option for 2027 (with a $2 million buyout).
“I’ve admired him from afar and up close,” Harris said.
With Jansen, the Tigers now feel confident using four relievers in save situations. The other three: right-hander Kyle Finnegan, right-hander Will Vest and left-hander Tyler Holton.
Of those four relievers, three of them produced more than 20 saves during the 2025 season, led by Jansen’s 29 and followed by Finnegan’s 24 and Vest’s 23.
“I think it was really important for us to add to the bullpen and be able to protect the leads that we know we’re going to get,” said Harris, who re-signed Finnegan on a two-year, $19 million contract earlier this month. “Whether we can find other opportunities to make our bullpen better, I’m not quite sure yet, but I like the bullpen as it is right now.”
For Jansen, his sights are set on reaching 500 saves.
It’s likely to happen in 2026.
But Jansen isn’t the Tigers’ closer.
Not yet.
“It’s going to be A.J.’s call on that,” Harris said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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Detroit, MI
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