I am Australian. Hockey should not be showing up in my life this often.

Yet somehow it's everywhere. My twin sister reads hockey romance novels. On TikTok hockey is being posted daily. Entire TV shows revolve around hockey players. And the only thing I even know about the sport, is that I am constantly being bombarded by it.

So as any normal person does, I ask questions. Where has this obsession with hockey come from? Why is it suddenly everywhere? How have individuals (who have never even held a hockey stick before) become so obsessed with hockey media? And why can’t I get away from it????

Here’s what I discovered.

Now, hockey has been around for decades. First developing as an offshoot of earlier versions of stick-and-ball sports that were popular in Europe. As time passed, the game evolved, gaining popularity overseas, and finally becoming a massive part of Canadian culture, where they would play the game on frozen lakes and rivers. Although that doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is how far hockey has reached beyond being just a sport and now into mainstream entertainment.

Thanks TikTok!

TikTok is truly the one to blame for hockey’s sudden popularity.

My twin discovered many of her favourite hockey-related books through social media. As one like turns into more recommendations. These recommendations lead you to having an entire fandom appear on your screen. (Thanks TikTok, wish you didn’t do that. It’s amazing how powerful algorithms are.)

So, people don’t naturally discover new interests anymore. Interests are always introduced to them. One video leads to another, which leads to a book recommendation and then it leads to a tv adaptation. Now someone who never knew anything about hockey is discussing which fictional hockey player is seemingly the best at their sport. 

Of course the sport itself becomes a part of the aesthetic. The internet has always been so good at turning any niche interest into a mainstream trend…it was about time this happened to hockey.

Hockey and Love, a weird combo

There are many individuals who aren’t exactly hockey followers, but are fans of stories which happen to involve hockey. “Off Campus,” a series of (young-adult?) books, is a good example of this. The story follows a group of college students who are coincidentally hockey players. These books are POPULAR. Each book is being adapted to a season of tv. When I first heard of the series and the adaptation, I'd never heard or read the books. My twin, however, knew exactly what they were (Shout out to her.)

This is where it really gets interesting, I found that people enjoy “Off Campus” not for the sport, or because they want to know more about hockey… but more for its romance?? 

And it's not hard to see why. Hockey players are ambitious, they’re interesting, and physically impressive. So, by using hockey as a foundation for these melodramas, authors can more easily tell a rich story, focused on characters and their development.

The popularity of these books and shows being about hockey, is secondary to the characters, their relationships, and their growth, due to the media focusing more on the latter.

Say hello to Heated Rivalry

Heated Rivalry has now entered the stage. 

A story very similar to Off Campus, Heated Rivalry began as a book. What’s different about it, is that it’s gay. Very gay. Completely gay. You can’t have the story without it being gay. You lose 95% of the story that way. And the show is popular because people want different kinds of love stories. Especially queer ones, it’s the hottest…I mean, coldest new trend.

Again, no one wants to watch hockey games. They want the characters, the tropes, the relationships. Hockey is able to provide that, quick and easy. The intense competition, the pressure of professional sport plus the secrecy surrounding a gay relationship? Well that raises all of the emotional stakes! The hockey matters, duh, but the romance just matters more.

Look, I enjoyed the story. I’m queer, it definitely resonated with me and made me cry a bit. It’s dramatic, emotional, and definitely devastating. But still even after watching it, I found myself just asking: why choose hockey? It’s a clear answer, right? Hockey is able to offer writers a ready-made world that’s filled with both rivalry, teamwork, ambition, and larger than life personalities. It creates drama and intensity before the romance has even started!

It’s more than just hockey

Hockey isn’t the only sport that’s having a massive cultural moment. It’s actually ice sports in general.

Athletes such as Alysa Liu, an Olympic winning figure skater, have attracted enormous amounts of attention online, especially with younger audiences. People who have never watched winter sports are now actively engaging with these athletes through social media, interviews, and edits. They aren’t athletes anymore, they’re just personalities.

Of course social media has changed the way we connect with sports. We don’t solely engage with games and competitions, we engage with the stories that are shown. No wonder hockey is rising in popularity.

So…what is it with all the hockey media again?

Let's answer the question: hockey itself hasn’t suddenly changed, we just consume it differently. Romance novels. TV shows. Social media algorithms. Each of these have now transformed hockey from a niche sport to a cultural phenomenon. No one really is falling in love with hockey itself. They love the stories built around it.

Me? I don’t really care about hockey.

My twin, however, will still continue reading about hockey romances and rewatching both Off Campus and Heated rivalry for the millionth time. And there’s no shame doing that.

I will now happily accept defeat. I don’t think I’ll ever understand it. Yet that's just trends, hockey is having its time within the limelight. It won’t last. Something new will come to take its place in cultural relevancy. In the meantime I’m going to continue to find something that I am interested in. It’ll be outside of what an algorithm is telling me because I know there’s so much media out there. Afterall, you just have to find it!

Veronica is a 1st-year Social Sciences/Media student. When she’s not watching obscure video essays, they’re either gaming or reading through fanfics. At the end of the day it all ends with a two hour writing session that turns into Instagram scrolling time.