Like out-of-town friends, magazines pop by every so often to give you a colourful update on the latest happenings before taking up permanent residence on the shelf in the bathroom. Schedule a regular visitation with today's Groupon: for $9, you get a one-year quarterly hockey-magazine subscription to The Fourth Period (a $19.21 value, including HST).

Quarterly issues of The Fourth Period magazine glide into mailboxes to greet sports fans with hockey-centred articles and lifestyle features. Flip through to the Q&A section to read conversations between intrepid reporters and hockey's most prominent stick wielders to glean sports scoops, leisure-related questions, and the brand of life vest that keeps them from sinking into the ice. Celebrity and athlete profiles highlight famous personalities, gadget features tempt readers' electric itch, and photos of aptly named "ice girls" add a feminine touch. Readers shift eyes toward standings and team-specific features to stay current with their favourite athletes, and a "rookie watch" section attempts to pin point hockey's future stars. Whispers of rumours come from the pages to bring divined knowledge of injuries, future trades, and the most popular cupcake flavours at locker-room bake swaps.