The NHL is embracing the Heated Rivalry phenomenon.
The league has launched its new “Hot for Hockey” campaign, an effort aimed at capitalizing on the explosion of hockey romance following the success of shows like Heated Rivalry and Off Campus.
The campaign features a series of 60-to-90-second audiobook-style stories available on Spotify. Written and narrated by popular hockey romance authors, the stories feature real NHL players and storylines while adopting the tone and tropes of the romance genre.
That said, there is one important distinction: the stories don’t actually feature romantic relationships between NHL players.
Instead, the league is using the style of hockey romance to introduce its players, rivalries, and games to an audience that may have discovered hockey through the genre.
And according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, the league has plenty of reason to believe that audience is worth pursuing.
“We have a number of marketing campaigns that we’re going to be using directed at various audiences,” Bettman said.
“I will tell you the data is overwhelming in terms of new fans that we acquired last year through Off Campus or Heated Rivalry. If new people want to come and be a part of the game, we’re thrilled to have them.”
I asked Gary Bettman about the league's bizarre new "Hot for Hockey" marketing campaign. — From Taylor Haase in Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/oF8d5o5JiA
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) September 30, 2026
The NHL’s new campaign includes stories such as “Jack of Hearts,” featuring Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel, “The Storm Between Us,” featuring Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, and “Chasing Connor,” featuring Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.
These stories are all available on streaming platforms including Spotify.
There is even a story centred around Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty titled “The Summer I Turned Gritty.”
For the NHL, Bettman believes that these types of stories represent an opportunity rather than something the league should ignore.
“Since it seems to be a cultural phenomenon, we figured why not get on board,” Bettman said.
The league’s approach is essentially an attempt to meet those new fans where they are, using elements of a genre that has already demonstrated its ability to attract people to hockey.
Whether those fans stick around for the actual games remains to be seen, but the NHL clearly believes the hockey-romance audience is too significant to overlook.
For a league that has traditionally marketed hockey through its physicality, rivalries, and on-ice action, “Hot for Hockey” represents a decidedly different way of selling the sport.
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