Penalty boxes, in hockey lingo

As a detective, my first step was to read the clue carefully and break it down into its essential elements. In this case, the clue was referencing a term in hockey lingo that refers to a location where a player would go for a penalty. As someone with some knowledge of hockey, I knew that penalty boxes are where players go when they receive a penalty. However, penalty boxes are not typically referred to as “boxes” in hockey lingo.

So, I started to think of other terms that could be used in place of “penalty boxes.” One possibility was “sin bins.” This term, although not as commonly used in North America, is often used in European hockey and rugby. It is a slang term for a penalty box, and its use is derived from the idea that players are sent there as a punishment for their sins on the ice.

With this in mind, I realized that “sin bins” could be the answer to the crossword clue. I confirmed this by checking the number of letters in the answer and making sure they fit the grid, which they did. Overall, by breaking down the clues into its essential elements and using my knowledge of hockey lingo, I was able to determine that “sin bins” was the answer to the crossword clue.