This week really illustrates how badly The Athletic dropped the ball with its week-long feature on "hockey culture".

This week? Is hockey culture. Obstinate. Arrogant. Resistant to change. Resistant to criticism.

If you're outside of the hockey bubble, any criticism of hockey is dismissed because they aren't part of the clique. (Even though the likely reason they are on the outside is they either left or were forced out because of the toxicity).

If you're inside the hockey bubble, any criticism of hockey is dismissed as sour grapes or somebody upset at being a parent cut or a homer.

Christ, just look at The Athletic's comment sections on any Don Cherry story. "The best comment section on the internet" has to hide like one in five comments because HOW DARE somebody speak out against a pillar of the hockey culture they've cultivated?

No mention whatsoever about hockey's toxicity, but hey Eric Duhatschek got to steal another paycheque to write about how quaint it was that hockey players used to smoke