NHL’s “Hot for Hockey” Campaign Targets the Hockey Romance Boom

To become better—or more profitable? Romance readers have never been more obsessed with hockey, and now the National Hockey League wants to capitalize on the trend.

As part of its new Hot for Hockey campaign, the NHL is releasing romance novel-inspired short stories featuring players from around the league on its audiobook platform. According to Sports Business Journal, the league plans to work with popular hockey romance authors to write and narrate 60- to 90-second stories. It also hopes to enlist creators from BookTok, TikTok’s romance-focused literary community, to promote the content.

NHL players featured in the first romance shorts

The first batch of short stories, released this week, features players including Trevor Zegras of the Philadelphia Flyers, Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The stories were written by hockey romance author C. R. Jane. Despite borrowing familiar romance tropes, the shorts do not pair the players with romantic partners. Instead, they read more like back-cover summaries designed to encourage viewers to watch the games.

For example, Rough Summer with Trevor Zegras presents Zegras as a player who came to Philadelphia looking for a fresh start after facing Pittsburgh in the playoffs the previous year. The promotional copy leans on familiar romance language, including references to Philadelphia’s “cute boys,” while ultimately pointing audiences toward the sport itself.

Critics say the NHL campaign misses the point

Not all romance readers are enthusiastic about Hot for Hockey. Some argue that the campaign could turn players into targets of sexual harassment. Others see it as cheap pandering that fails to address concerns among women and LGBTQ hockey fans about homophobia and toxic masculinity in the sport.

“Words cannot express the depth of my anger that this is happening,” bestselling hockey romance novelist Emily Russ said in a Threads post. “Yes, I got a call from the NHL to join. I’ve never turned down an offer so quickly.”

Why the NHL is embracing hockey romance

Romance novels about hockey players have grown in popularity in recent years. The New York Public Library highlighted the trend in 2019. The success of romance novels adapted into streaming series has since helped bring hockey romance further into the mainstream, including books such as Fierce Rivalry and Off Campus.

NHL spokesperson Jon Weinstein told WIRED that the campaign is a “playful nod to what is clearly happening in the cultural zeitgeist.”

“We’re very proud to partner with real hockey writers, illustrators and voice actors in this space, and we’re grateful that the players enjoyed it too,” he said.