CULTURE

Footer Column 2

Footer Legal

Footer Main

Nav Bar

OTHER

SPORTS

Subscribe, at any level, to play

Thanks for your interest in Defector Crosswords!

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Plans start at $8/month.

Subscribers enjoy unlimited, ad-free browsing.

Register to continue

Or click here to subscribe for unlimited, ad-free access!

Our gift to you: This year's post is unlocked. Register your email to get even more free articles.

Welcome to the 2025 Hater's Guide!

Just register your email:

This blog is free to read.

This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Ray Ratto

Reminder: In Order To Play Hockey You Need Access To Water

Tom Ley

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 13: in Game Five of the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The NHL Scurries Away From Its Pride Night Problem

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 03: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attends the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena on February 03, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Arizona Is Gary Bettman’s Waterloo

Lauren Theisen

The NHL’s Digital Board Ads Have To Go

Fans watch from behind an extra sheet of plexy-glass, designed for greater protection, during the first period of the NHL game between the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on February 15, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The stands are mostly empty.

The Arizona Coyotes Consider Disappearing Before Our Very Eyes

Gary Bettman