Detroit — The boos were loud and stinging and showed how frustrated Red Wings fans are.

They rained down after the Wings’ 5-3 loss to New Jersey, officially eliminating the Wings from the Stanley Cup playoffs, and during the final minutes as the Wings struggled to generate a goal and at least earn a point for the standings.

They didn’t score. They lost. And fans let them hear about it.

The Wings now own the longest streak of not making the playoffs in the NHL, at 10 consecutive seasons. Without a doubt, fans aren’t happy about it.

Coach and players understood the booing, accepted it as the fans simply not being happy with the same outcome now, season after season.

“This is Detroit, this is Hockeytown,” said coach Todd McLellan, who was an assistant coach on the Wings’ last Stanley Cup winning team in 2008. “I’ve been lucky enough to be on the other side of it, when they couldn’t stop cheering for this team. They’re dying for that. They crave that.

“That’s what they want, and I don’t even know if they want a Stanley Cup championship anymore. They just want a team that will come and give them something to cheer about.”

Players in the last few weeks referenced the “outside noise” from fans, alluding to the pressure or negativism from fans, and they have been attempting to keep it outside of the locker room.

The fans, said McLellan, have the right to express their opinions after 25 consecutive years of making the playoffs with four Stanley Cups during that timeframe.

“This outside noise stuff or whatever, that’s inside noise, those are our fans in our building and they pay to watch us play, and we get paid well to perform for them,” McLellan said. “They’re fulling entitled to their opinion and we deserve that opinion.

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“There’s no other way to sugarcoat it. That’s what we earned.”

Captain Dylan Larkin said it was “difficult” to hear the booing.

“Our fans are great, they are passionate and they care about winning,” Larkin said. “There’s been some great years here and they want us back to that. That’s what they expect here.”

Lucas Raymond said it “stinks” to end the season the way the Wings did, and have fans boo at Little Caesars Arena.

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“We had a clear goal coming into this year and we didn’t do it,” Raymond said. “We had plenty of opportunities throughout this season and especially down the stretch.”

McLellan feels the Wings need to do a better job of facing and conquering the pressure and challenge of meaningful games late in the season.

“I felt a little bit of that last year, I’ve lived a year of it now and it’s there,” said McLellan of the external pressure. “But we keep earning that. We earned that pressure and that outside (“noise”) but you can except the pressure as challenge or you can succumb to it and we seem to choose the second one (succumb to it).

“That’s the way it is and the only way you get out of it is, you work your way out of it.”

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

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@tkulfan

Detroit Red Wings sign autographs after season’s final home game

Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, Emmitt Finnie and the rest of the Red Wings signed hockey sticks for fans after the game

MILWAUKEE — A family is mourning the loss of a 38-year-old man who was shot and killed Friday night on the city’s north side.

Milwaukee police said the shooting happened around 11:50 p.m. on the 1000 block of W. Atkinson Avenue. A 35-year-old was taken to the hospital with nonfatal injuries.

Watch: Family of Christopher White left wondering why he was killed in a double shooting Friday night in Milwaukee.

‘He loved his family’: Loved ones remember Milwaukee man killed days before birthday in double shooting

A 38-year-old, who family identified as Christopher White, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

On Saturday, loved ones gathered for a vigil, holding photos and praying together.

“He had a really big family. He was a good person,” Erica White, his mother, said.

Family members said White was one of six siblings and loved spending time with his family. The gathering came just days before what would have been his 39th birthday.

“For them to do him like that? He was in a wheelchair, he had one leg,” White’s girlfriend, Dawana Brown, cried.

Loved ones said White was paralyzed after a shooting more than a decade ago near N. 7th Street and W. North Avenue. Brown said he relied on others for care.

“He is helpless. He can’t do anything. He had no leg,” Brown said. “For them to do him like that… y’all didn’t have to kill him.”

Family of Christopher White

Family members said White survived that earlier shooting, only to be killed in another act of gun violence.

As the investigation continues, Brown asked for prayers.

“Pray for my family, his family… everything to be alright,” Brown said.

The family has also created a GoFundMe as they seek justice.

Police have not said what led up to the shooting and are still seeking suspects. Anyone with information is asked to contact Milwaukee police or Crime Stoppers.

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Dozens of Black and Brown children filled the pool at V3 Sports Center in north Minneapolis this weekend for a free swim‑safety event focused on building confidence and expanding access to water‑safety skills. 

Jack and Jill of America’s Minneapolis chapter hosted its second annual JJ Swim safety event, drawing more than 80 kids — a 60% increase from last year, according to organizers. Children in grades kindergarten to seniors in high school attended. 

“I just got to go faster, faster, faster, faster,” said swimmer Jaden Walker as he pushed himself through the water. 

He later shared his personal benchmark for a full lap.

“One lap down and back would be 27 seconds for me,” Jaden said.

While some kids focused on speed, instructors emphasized the importance of basic safety and comfort in the water. 

A teen lifeguard working the event said many kids her age still lack essential swim skills.

“I think a lot of kids my age or younger don’t know how to swim, and it limits the exercise you can do and the fun you can have, especially over the summer,” said 15‑year‑old lifeguard Taylor Williams.

V3 staff guided students through several stations.

“They are learning basic things, breathing, floating, forward movement, and then we’re doing life jacket fitting over there, and we’re doing CPR,” said V3 Sports Aquatics Program Assistant Dejah Teetzle.

Organizers say the event is designed to make swimming accessible and welcoming for families who have historically had fewer opportunities to learn.

“It’s electrifying in here. The kids are having such a good time,” said Marisa Williams, with Jack and Jill.

She added that the turnout reflects the need for programs like this.

“It just makes us feel really good that we’re exposing Black and Brown children to the water in a way that they feel really good about.”

The CDC reports that Black people of all ages have some of the highest drowning rates in the country, and Black and Brown children are less likely to receive formal swim lessons. 

The agency also notes that Black children face a significantly higher risk of drowning in swimming pools compared to white children, a disparity tied to decades of limited access to pools, lessons and water‑safety resources.

For many families, the event was also about challenging the narrative.

“I feel like it’s very important that we’re breaking the stereotype and that we’re also bettering our community by doing events like this,” said swimmer Aneya Bliss.

Young swimmers left with big dreams sparked by their time in the water.

“I would love to be a lifeguard, and maybe even go to the Olympics someday,” Jaden said.

Teetzle said early exposure matters and that ages 1 to 3 are an important time to introduce children to water comfort and basic skills. The center also offers adult lessons for those learning later in life.