{"id":6770,"date":"2026-07-15T18:45:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faulhaber.agency\/the-pr-lessons-hidden-in-hockey-romance\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T20:20:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:20:01","slug":"the-pr-lessons-hidden-in-hockey-romance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faulhaber.agency\/fr\/the-pr-lessons-hidden-in-hockey-romance\/","title":{"rendered":"The PR Lessons Hidden in Hockey Romance"},"content":{"rendered":"

They say to write what you know, so here we are!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As someone who read the\u00a0<\/span>Off Campus<\/span><\/i>\u00a0series back when the covers\u00a0still\u00a0had abs on them, has spent a lifetime cheering on the\u00a0Toronto Maple\u00a0Leafs\u00a0and, admittedly, developed a soft spot for a couple of fictional blonde hockey players along the way (looking at you, Dean and Ilya), I couldn’t pass up the chance to write about the hockey romance boom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this\u00a0isn’t\u00a0<\/span>really<\/span><\/i>\u00a0a blog about hockey romance (though I could go on about that forever).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0about fandom, and the brands that found a way to be part of it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether\u00a0you’re\u00a0a longtime hockey fan,\u00a0discovered\u00a0the sport through\u00a0BookTok\u00a0or\u00a0learned\u00a0what\u00a0\u201cicing” is because of a fictional hockey team, one thing is clear: hockey romance has built an incredibly passionate audience.\u00a0What’s\u00a0been just as interesting to watch is what happened after people fell in love with them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They follow\u00a0the actors. They made\u00a0countless edits. They debate dream castings,\u00a0dissect behind-the-scenes photos and, yes, try\u00a0to buy a quarter zip that\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0exist.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Watching it all\u00a0unfold, I kept noticing the same thing: the brands that stood out\u00a0weren’t\u00a0necessarily the ones with the biggest\u00a0campaigns,\u00a0they were the ones that understood timing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take\u00a0Off Campus.<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rather than releasing generic merch with the show’s logo slapped across a hoodie, American Eagle created a collection inspired by pieces\u00a0actually featured\u00a0in the series. There were subtle nods to the fictional hockey team, the\u00a0diner\u00a0and other details that fans\u00a0immediately\u00a0recognized. They also had Mika Abdalla share the collection across\u00a0her\u00a0<\/span>social channels<\/span><\/a>, making it feel like an extension of the show instead of just another brand partnership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The timing is what made it work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The collection launched while everyone was still binge-watching episodes, making edits on TikTok and\u00a0deciding which Briar hockey player was their\u00a0favourite.\u00a0Instead of asking fans to revisit the show months later, it gave them something tangible while they were still immersed in that world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Heated Rivalry<\/i>\u00a0told a slightly different story.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Almost overnight, Shane Hollander’s Team Canada fleece became one of the most talked-about pieces of clothing online. Fans were trying to track it down before there was anything to buy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Province of Canada announced a collaboration to recreate the jacket during the hype, partnering with the\u00a0<\/span>Heated Rivalry<\/span><\/i>\u00a0team and costume designer Hanna Puley to produce it in Canada while supporting You Can Play.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The collaboration was thoughtful, but it also highlighted something every brand faces today: the internet moves faster than product development. By the time pre-orders opened in June, the\u00a0initial\u00a0frenzy had settled (even though fans still snapped them up).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there’s Quinn.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike apparel, content\u00a0happens\u00a0quick.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just two weeks after\u00a0<\/span>Off Campus<\/span><\/i>\u00a0premiered,\u00a0Quinn released an audio story featuring Stephen Kalyn and Mika Abdalla, giving fans another chance to enjoy the chemistry\u00a0they’d\u00a0already fallen in love with.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No elaborate rollout.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

No complicated production timeline.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a smart idea released while people were still actively talking about the show.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One thing\u00a0I’ve\u00a0learned\u00a0working at a\u00a0<\/span>PR agency<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is that sometimes the opportunity\u00a0isn’t\u00a0creating a cultural moment.\u00a0It’s\u00a0recognizing one while\u00a0it’s\u00a0still happening.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking back, all three brands\u00a0got something right.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

American Eagle understood fans wanted to wear the world of\u00a0<\/span>Off Campus,<\/span><\/i>\u00a0Quinn recognized people\u00a0weren’t\u00a0ready to move on from Stephen and Mika’s chemistry\u00a0and\u00a0Province of Canada turned one of the show’s most recognizable costume pieces into something fans could\u00a0actually own.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three completely different approaches\u00a0with\u00a0one common thread.\u00a0They all understood that fandom\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0end when the credits roll.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The only difference is when they\u00a0chose\u00a0to become part of it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They say to write what you know, so here we are!\u00a0 As someone who read the\u00a0Off Campus\u00a0series back when the covers\u00a0still\u00a0had abs on them, has spent a lifetime cheering on the\u00a0Toronto Maple\u00a0Leafs\u00a0and, admittedly, developed a soft spot for a couple of fictional blonde hockey players along the way (looking at you, Dean and Ilya), I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[678],"tags":[679,680,681,682,683,684,685,686,687,688,689],"class_list":["post-6770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-american-eagle","tag-heated-rivalry","tag-hockey-romance","tag-off-campus","tag-province-of-canada","tag-quinn","tag-seo","tag-social-media","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-toronto-pr"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t