Web Spotlight

Starting today, check out latimes.com/sports for Christine Daniels’ “Day in L.A.,” a daily column on the sports events, personalities and themes that matter most to Southern Californians.

Responsive, thoughtful, experienced commentary from one of the area’s most talented and versatile journalists, updated throughout the day as events happen.

Daniels has covered major sports in the Southland for more than 20 years. Here’s a sample of what lies ahead:

Funny sport, hockey.

When Anaheim’s ice brigade was known as the “Mighty Ducks,” the Ducks were usually anything but. Sitting, yes. Ugly, often. But almost never mighty.

Now that NBC’s Brett Hull has rechristened them the “Terrible Ducks,” the franchise finds itself knocking on Lord Stanley’s door, causing Hull’s old Detroit teammates a good deal of terrible grief.

This team is the closest thing L.A. has to a professional sports dynasty at the moment -- three conference finals in five years. The Lakers used to fill that role, but since the Ducks took New Jersey to seven games in the 2003 Stanley Cup finals, the Lakers have been to the conference finals once, in 2004.

The Ducks play old-time hockey, the kind of stuff that moves teams from one playoff round to the next. Anyone can appreciate that effort, especially here in L.A., where one hockey team is “terrible” and the other throws in the towel.