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It's Back!

At long last, the NHL is back! After a marathon negotiating session, the NHL finally agreed to a collective bargaining agreement with the players union. While we know hockey isn't the most popular sport, LAist is thrilled. We still remember the feeling in this city when the Kings reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993. The whole city was buzzing with hockey. The Kings were sold out for the whole season.
Times have changed dramatically now, and the NHL has a ton of work to do. First off, the league doesn't have a TV deal that pays any guaranteed money. The sport has expanded into markets where there is little or no interest in the sport. And finally, the product has become less watchable each year.
Long gone are the days of Wayne Gretzky and the high-flying 1980s Edmonton Oilers. Defense and the neutral zone trap are in vogue. There are no real stars in today's NHL either.
Obviously the NHL needs to find ways to reach to out its alienated fans before becoming completely irrelevant. But they also have to work on improving the product. LAist would like to see some dramatic rules changes, doing everything from allowing the two-line pass to shrinking goaltender equipment. Anything to speed up and energize the game. And maybe we'll even write up a few Kings and Ducks posts.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

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