The NHL is reshaping how it markets players in an effort to turn recent curiosity into long-term fandom. Nearly 1.8 million people watched the NHL for the first time last season after viewing the television series “Heated Rivalry” or “Off Campus,” according to NHL research. The league also found television viewership among 18-to-34-year-olds rose 30% after the Winter Olympics, the NHL said.
Sean Eggert, the NHL’s new senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer, told ESPN that emotion matters in building those connections. “People fall for people. That emotive connection is really, really important,” Eggert said. He added that “every player is a new way to reach a new fan.”
The league has moved to highlight players away from the rink. “NHL In Focus,” a six-part series, presents editorial-style photo shoots and profiles with no uniforms or action shots. The first installment features Cole Caufield, Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer at a diner the league rented during its Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, with professional stylists and groomers focusing on personality rather than play.
The push comes amid a generational shift in the player pool. According to the league, 61% of NHL players are now Gen Z. The NHL also removed its game-day dress code as part of the new collective bargaining agreement, giving players more freedom in what they wear and generating social-media attention for their tunnel outfits.
Executives said the league is also tailoring its outreach based on who is watching. ESPN reported that its average female audience during the 2026 playoffs climbed 164% from 2025. “We are acting with more intention for sure,” Eggert said, adding, “This is not a spray and pray. This is being a little bit more segmented and making sure that our messaging is at the right time for the right consumer.” Eggert joined the NHL in May after seven years at Under Armour.
League leaders told ESPN they will pursue less traditional spaces as well, including an “aggressive” move into BookTok and collaborations with authors, illustrators and creators in hockey’s romance community. “The whole ‘romantasy’ space specific to sports and hockey, it’s undeniable,” Eggert said. NHL chief communications officer Jon Weinstein emphasized the strategy is additive: “There’s a place in hockey for every type of fan… One does not come at the expense of the other,” he said.
