The NHL says it has reached peak fandom and is looking for new ways to bring in additional viewers.
One way the league thinks it can attract new fans is by capitalizing on hockey-themed romance novels and TV shows, and the ideas are somewhat queer, to say the least.
'The popularity of hockey romance in not only this country ... it's unmistakable.'
The NHL is hoping to reach a "younger" and untapped market with a series of audio-only ads promoting players as if they are the center of a romance novel.
The "Hot for Hockey" campaign currently features five 30-second ads themed around NHL players, featuring titles like "The Summer I Turned Gritty with Trevor Zegras" and "The Storm Between Us."
"Hot for Hockey brings together the NHL's biggest stars and fiercest matchups, told in a way you've never heard before," the description reads. "Because off the ice, just like in love, it's all part of the game."
The clips have an average rating on Spotify of 2.84/5.
The campaign follows the success of the gay hockey-drama TV series "Heated Rivalry" and other hockey romances like "Off Campus," which has a second season premiering next year.
NHL CMO Sean Eggert even said that the league has contracted popular hockey romance authors to write and narrate the clips in hopes that it will direct listeners to check out upcoming games.
"The popularity of hockey romance in not only this country, but North America at large, even parts of Europe, it's unmistakable," Eggert said, per the Sports Business Journal. "You can't hide from it. And so it's a great opportunity for us to extend and reflect that culture back in our storytelling."
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Eggert confidently said that "younger" fans of the genre will pick up on the tonality and "lean in and start to share and hopefully take action."
The Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who corroborated that "the hockey romance genre is extraordinarily popular."
"The data is overwhelming," Bettman reportedly claimed.
The commissioner admitted that the content of the genre is not suitable for every audience or age group, but said hockey-drama fans are now connecting with the sport.
Bettman went on to say that while the NHL isn't exactly hurting for fans, they are looking to encourage those "not focused on hockey to take a look."
"I don't think we’ve ever had more fans. Our buildings are sold out. We set another record last season. Our ratings were up dramatically," Bettman boasted.
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The NHL is no stranger to controversial campaigns and promotional content.
When the league canceled its themed jersey nights after backlash over gay Pride jerseys, it launched its Player Inclusion Coalition just days later.
The coalition is explicitly focused on promoting race and sexuality, including with its race-centric "Color of Hockey" series.
In 2025, the coalition announced Hockey's Beauty Club, encouraging people (including children) to wear rainbow tags on their hockey bags to indicate that they support homosexuality.
"To have the bag tag on your bag, to walk into the rink, I think it shows somebody on your team that person's a beauty. That person's got my back," said former Minnesota Wild defenseman Jon Merrill. "He, she, or they are going to stand up for me."
Merrill was described by the league as an "active member in LGBQT+ communities" who has officiated hockey games "in a tutu" or dressed in "full drag" at other events.
The "Heated Rivalry" series has also been celebrated at NHL Pride nights, specifically noted at a Florida Panthers game in March.
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[H/T Blaze Media]
