For better or for worse, romance lovers have never been hornier for hockey. Now, the National Hockey League wants to cash in.
As part of its new “Hot for Hockey,” campaign, the NHL is rolling out romance novel-inspired short stories starring the league’s players on audiobook platforms. According to the Sports Business Journal, the league contacted popular hockey romance writers to write and narrate the 60 to 90 second stories, and will tap creators on BookTok, the romance-heavy literary subculture on TikTok, to promote the content.
The first batch of short stories, which dropped this week, feature players including the Philadelphia Flyers’ Trevor Zegras, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel. They’re written by Pucking Wrong author C.R. Jane and more closely resemble back-cover summaries than actual romance novels. And, despite the nods to genre tropes, the players aren’t paired with romantic partners. Much more boringly, the stories appear to be a bid to get people to watch the actual games. The entirety of The Summer I Turned Gritty with Trevor Zegras is as follows:
“Trevor Zegras came to Philly looking for a fresh start. But after battling with Pittsburgh in the playoffs last year, he found out how gritty things could get. One heated summer later, Philly’s pretty boy is looking a whole lot grittier.”
Not all romance readers are thrilled about the campaign. Some argue that it makes players targets for sexual harassment. Others see the stories as cheap pandering that fails to engage with female and LGBTQ hockey fans’ concerns about homophobia and toxic masculinity in the sport.
“I cannot begin to describe the depths of my rage that this is actually happening,” Emily Rath, a best-selling hockey romance novelist, posted on Threads. “Yes, the NHL contacted me to participate. And I have never turned down an offer so fast.”
“They See Dollar Signs”
Romance novels focused on hockey players have been on the rise for years—the New York Public Library first highlighted the trend in 2019. Hockey romance burst into the mainstream with the massive success of romance novel-turned-streaming series Heated Rivalry, followed by Off Campus.
Jon Weinstein, a spokesperson for the NHL, tells WIRED in a statement that the campaign is a “playful nod to something that’s clearly going on in the cultural zeitgeist.”
“We were very proud to partner with real hockey authors, illustrators and voice actors in the space, and we’re grateful the players were willing to have a little fun with it too,” he says.