The NHL is skating on thin ice by cozying up to BookTok

The National Hockey League is rolling out a “Hot for Hockey” campaign intended to build upon the success and popularity of the hockey romance genre. League executives told ESPN they were going to court BookTok creators and market their players in a way that will “demystify what’s happening behind the helmet,” said Sean Eggert, the NHL’s new senior executive VP and chief marketing officer. The NHL is releasing a series of short-form audio books on Spotify with names like “The Storm Between Us” and “The Summer I Turned Gritty” (we’ll hand it to them, the latter title referencing the Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot is hilarious) that spotlight real players, per Sports Business Journal. They’ll be written by contracted hockey romance authors, beginning with C.R. Jane, author of the Pucking Wrong series. “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. “Some will rise. Some will fall. All will leave us wanting more.” While these bites won’t be smutty or involve romance between players, they play off the tropes and tone of the genre. [Cover Images: NHL] At first glance, “Hot for Hockey” might seem…