Hockey romance is a sports romance subgenre that has exploded in popularity, particularly on BookTok. The setting provides natural ingredients for romance: physically intense athletes, team dynamics, travel schedules that create absence and reunion, and the competitive pressure that makes vulnerability harder. The subgenre has developed its own tropes (the enforcer with a soft side, the player who falls for one person) and a fiercely loyal readership.
Hockey romance is a case study in how a niche subgenre becomes a mainstream phenomenon through reader communities. It demonstrates that specificity sells: the more precisely you define your subgenre, the more passionate the readership. If you're writing sports romance, understanding why hockey dominates the category offers lessons in audience connection.
College hockey romance that helped launch the subgenre's modern boom, combining sports tension with campus setting.
Humorous hockey romance that demonstrated the subgenre's range beyond serious sports drama.
A BookTok phenomenon pairing a hockey player with a figure skater, showing the subgenre's crossover appeal.
Write a scene set during or immediately after a high-stakes game. One character just won or lost something important. Another character is there in a capacity unrelated to sports (a trainer, a journalist, a sibling's friend). Let the adrenaline and emotion of the game create an opening for a connection that wouldn't happen on a normal day.