To say the Seattle Kraken have a devoted fan base is an understatement, but the NHL’s newest team is getting more attention than usual right now thanks to a… community of hardcore fans on TikTok?
As the Kraken prepare to square off against the Dallas Stars for a Game-7 winner-moves-on matchup Monday night, it’s hard to ignore the immaculate vibes they’re bringing to their first-ever playoff series. It’s even harder to ignore the sudden influx of support from a group of TikTok users who are showing sudden interest in the team, and the sport itself, due to the popularity of steamy, hockey-centric romance fiction. Yes, that is a real sentence.
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So how did this happen? Let’s break it all down:
What is BookTok?
First, some background information.
BookTok, quite simply, is a segment of profiles on TikTok that use the social media platform to discuss books. Users recommend books they’ve read, come up with elaborate theories and discuss favorite genres and themes. In a reading slump? They’ll help you. Want to rant about a DNF (“did not finish”)? They’re your people.
It’s a pretty lovely place to be.
@natsreadingnook5 some fast paced book recommendations to help you get out of a reading slump!📖✨ these all have short chapters too! #books #booktok #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #fastpacedbooks #shortchapters #bookish #reader #readersoftiktok #bookworm #booklover #readingslumpcure
Wait, so what does that have to do with hockey?
Hold on, we’re getting there. Within BookTok is a subset of romance fans, or readers that like their books a little bit spicier. Go down one level further and it gets even more specific. There is an ENTIRE genre of steamy hockey romance novels.
I’m not kidding. This list on GoodReads ranks the best and has 619 entries.
Novels with titles like Trying to Score, Pucked, Empty Net and Taking a Shot are all about hockey players who are generally described as very handsome and tall and mysterious and gruff and many other ways.
It’s a very popular sub-genre.
@bookedthroughmay Replying to @Seattle Kraken I’d be happy to! #hockeyromancebooks #hockeybooktok #natehawkins #offcampusseries #booktok @Hannah Grace @Leah Brunner @SC_Kate @Elle Kennedy @chloe_liese @Avery Keelan @⚡️Liz Tomforde @Elsie Silver
How did the Kraken get involved?
Back in late October 2022, the Kraken account posted a clip of center Alex Wennberg. It’s not a stretch to say Wennberg is what one might expect an objectively handsome hockey player to look like if one went around rating hockey players on their objective handsomeness.
@seattlekraken TikTok, meet Alex Wennberg. #SeaKraken #NHL #hockeyboys #hockey #Kraken
The earliest BookTok reference I can find from the official Kraken TikTok account is back in December 2022. In the post, Wennberg — a 28-year-old Swedish player — is sipping water with a caption of “what is booktok and why do they like wenny so much?”
@seattlekraken what is booktok and why do they like wenny so much 🤔 #hockey #booktok #SeaKraken #Seattle #Kraken #NHL
From there it snowballs, bringing more players into the mix like Vince Dunn, Jordan Eberle and Philipp Grubauer.
Why is this so wonderful?
There’s just something heartwarming about this new relationship. Members of BookTok are — based on the replies to the Kraken admin’s posts — delighted to have been welcomed into this space. New Kraken (and hockey) fans have emerged and shown up at bars and games to support their new team.
The Kraken invited one particularly influential BookTok member to Seattle to take in a game, gifting her a custom jersey.
@kierralewis75 A Booktok Jersey? I’M OBSESSED
Fans want the Kraken to make that same jersey available for purchase. Posts from new hockey fans are wondering how they are now out at sports bars at night watching a team they didn’t know existed months ago.
@mayasboringbooks AND THE KRAKEN WINNNNN #booktok #seattlekraken #stanleycupplayoffs #hockeyromance #sportsromance
It’s been a wonderful example of what sports can do. The Kraken social team has felt just as welcomed by BookTok as the other way around.
@seattlekraken Y’all are real ones #booktok #NHL #SeaKraken #hockey
It’s an unusual relationship, but what is more fitting for this story than the unlikely bookworm falling for the handsome pro sports player only to find out that he loved them back the whole time? It’s perfection.
@seattlekraken Replying to @Days in Rain not a wink but pretty sure y’all would want to see this #SeaKraken #booktok #NHL #hockey
Can the Kraken keep it going with another shocking win Monday night? We’ll see how this story ends.
