The National Hockey League (NHL) has officially launched a new marketing initiative titled "Hot for Hockey," a strategic move designed to capitalize on the burgeoning popularity of hockey-themed romance novels within digital subcultures like BookTok. The campaign features a series of short, romance-inspired audio stories narrated by or centered on prominent league players, including Trevor Zegras of the Philadelphia Flyers, Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights. While the league views the campaign as a playful engagement with a growing demographic of female and LGBTQ+ fans, the initiative has ignited a firestorm of criticism from the very community it seeks to court. Authors and fans alike have accused the league of "rainbow washing," professional hypocrisy, and failing to address deep-seated cultural issues including toxic masculinity, homophobia, and the mishandling of sexual assault allegations.
The Strategy Behind the Hot for Hockey Campaign
The "Hot for Hockey" campaign is an overt attempt to tap into the "BookTok" phenomenon—a segment of TikTok dedicated to literature that has become a kingmaker in the publishing industry. In recent years, "hockey romance" has emerged as one of the most lucrative subgenres in fiction, characterized by tropes of "enemies-to-lovers," "found family," and "grumpy-versus-sunshine" personalities. According to the Sports Business Journal, the NHL collaborated with popular romance authors to create 60-to-90-second audio clips intended for distribution across audiobook and social media platforms.
The first installment of stories includes titles like The Summer I Turned Gritty with Trevor Zegras. However, the content of these stories has been described by critics as more akin to marketing blurbs or back-cover summaries than actual narrative fiction. For instance, the Zegras story focuses on his transition to the Philadelphia Flyers and the "gritty" nature of the city, utilizing puns related to the team’s mascot rather than developing a romantic plotline. Unlike the novels that inspired the trend, these stories do not pair players with romantic interests, leading many to conclude that the campaign is a superficial attempt to drive game viewership rather than an authentic entry into the romance space.
A Chronology of the Hockey Romance Phenomenon
The rise of hockey romance did not happen overnight. The New York Public Library first noted the trend in 2019, highlighting an uptick in readers seeking stories set in the world of professional ice hockey. The genre reached a fever pitch with the success of Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry and Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus series. These books often feature high-stakes emotional drama and, in the case of Reid’s work, nuanced portrayals of LGBTQ+ relationships in professional sports.
As these books gained mainstream traction, the NHL began to take notice of the "BookTok" demographic—largely composed of younger women and LGBTQ+ individuals. In 2023, the Seattle Kraken became a focal point for this crossover when the team’s social media accounts began interacting with romance readers. However, this engagement soured when player Alexander Wennberg and his wife, Felicia, spoke out against "predatory" comments from fans who struggled to separate the real-life athlete from the fictionalized version of him promoted online. Despite this precedent, the NHL’s new campaign suggests a continued commitment to using romanticized player personas as a primary marketing tool.
Backlash from the Romance Writing Community
The response from established hockey romance authors has been overwhelmingly negative. Emily Rath, the best-selling author of the Jacksonville Rays series, revealed that she was approached by the league to participate in the campaign but declined immediately. Rath criticized the league’s approach, alleging that the initial pitch materials mocked the romance genre and utilized AI-generated imagery for cover art.
"They’re just encouraging the idea that women only care about hockey if it’s packaged like a romance novel," Rath stated in a public post. She further argued that the league is attempting to "launder their tarnished brand" by using the credibility of popular authors to lure in readers who may otherwise be alienated by the NHL’s corporate policies. Chelsea Curto, author of the D.C. Stars series, echoed these sentiments, noting that her work often critiques the very league the NHL is now trying to romanticize.
The use of AI-generated assets has also become a point of contention. Critics argue that by bypassing human illustrators and authors who have built the genre, the NHL is demonstrating a lack of respect for the creative community it is attempting to monetize.
Contradictions in League Policy: Pride and Inclusion
The "Hot for Hockey" campaign arrives at a time when the NHL’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community is under intense scrutiny. In June 2023, the league implemented a ban on players wearing specialty-themed uniforms during warmups, which included Pride-themed jerseys. While the league later reversed a ban on Pride-themed stick tape following significant player and fan pushback, the initial decision was seen as a retreat from inclusivity.
Furthermore, several teams have scaled back their participation in "Pride Nights." The Dallas Stars, for example, will not host a traditional Pride Night during the current season, opting instead to host an event centered on the romantic fantasy novel Iron Flame. While a portion of the proceeds from that event will benefit the Trevor Project, fans have pointed out the irony of replacing a night dedicated to LGBTQ+ visibility with a marketing event for a popular book.
Lacey Conine, founder of the inclusive hockey brand Double Hockey Stix, noted the disconnect: "They’re trying to bring in Heated Rivalry fans—and then canceling Pride Nights. That tells you where they’re at. It feels like they see dollar signs but don’t actually value the people behind the dollars."
Systemic Issues and the "Whitewashing" of Hockey Culture
Beyond marketing, the NHL faces ongoing criticism regarding its handling of serious off-ice issues. In 2022, a major scandal erupted involving Hockey Canada, the sport’s national governing body, which was found to have maintained a fund used to settle sexual assault claims. This revelation led to a broader conversation about "rape culture" and the lack of accountability within the sport’s developmental pipelines.
Last year, five players from the 2018 Canadian World Junior team were charged with sexual assault. While some were eventually acquitted and deemed eligible to play in the NHL, the situation has left a lasting impact on the fan base. Female fans, in particular, have expressed concern that the "Hot for Hockey" campaign is an attempt to "whitewash" these realities.
"The league aims to use romanticized narratives to obscure the insidious aspects of hockey culture," said Echo, a long-time fan of the Montreal Canadiens. For many, the attempt to frame players as "consent kings" or romantic heroes in marketing clips rings hollow when juxtaposed with the league’s history of handling misconduct allegations.
Expert Analysis: The Risks of Real-Person Fiction
The "Hot for Hockey" campaign effectively blurs the line between professional sports marketing and "Real-Person Fiction" (RPF). RPF is a genre of fan fiction where writers create stories about real celebrities or athletes. Within the hockey fandom, RPF has existed for decades, but it has traditionally been confined to private forums and fan-led spaces like Archive of Our Own (AO3).
Jess Rauchberg, a media and communication lecturer at the University of Leeds, points out that by officially adopting these tropes, the NHL is "breaking the fourth wall." While this might increase engagement, it also heightens the risk of parasocial relationships where fans feel entitled to the personal lives of players. This can lead to the type of harassment seen in the Alexander Wennberg case, where the boundaries between a professional athlete and a fictional character become dangerously thin.
Rauchberg suggests that the popularity of hockey romance stems from a desire for a "fantasy version" of the sport—one where players are emotionally intelligent, inclusive, and actively push back against toxic masculinity. When the league attempts to sell this fantasy without doing the work to improve the actual culture of the sport, it creates a "value gap" that many fans find impossible to ignore.
Broader Implications for the NHL’s Brand
The "Hot for Hockey" campaign represents a significant gamble for the NHL. On one hand, the league is desperate to modernize its image and attract a more diverse, younger audience to ensure long-term financial viability. On the other hand, the execution of the campaign has alienated the very "influencers" and authors who hold sway over that demographic.
Industry analysts suggest that for such a campaign to be successful, it must be accompanied by tangible policy changes. Marketing to romance readers—who often value emotional vulnerability and social justice—requires more than just "playful nods" to tropes. It requires a consistent commitment to player safety, fan inclusivity, and transparency in disciplinary matters.
As the first batch of audio stories circulates on social media, the NHL finds itself at a crossroads. The league must decide whether it will continue to treat the romance community as a mere "cash cow" or if it will engage in the difficult work of addressing the systemic issues that make such marketing feel like a mockery to many of its fans. For now, the "Hot for Hockey" initiative remains a polarizing experiment in the intersection of professional sports and digital fandom.
