Helen and Liana — two Australian readers who have never lived near an ice rink — somehow became fans of ice hockey romance books. In this post, we break down how that happened, the books that pulled us in, and why this trope works so well (even when you know nothing about the sport).
This post is based on one of our Book Chats — you can watch the full conversation below.
How It All Started
We are Australian. There is not much ice here. Our nearest ice rink is three and a half hours away in Newcastle.
And yet, somehow, we ended up reading ice hockey romance.
For Helen, it started with My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade. Before that book, she knew nothing about ice hockey. After it, she was looking up games to watch.
We fell in love with the trope first — and then went looking for the sport.
It’s a bit like discovering something completely random through a book and then going down a rabbit hole. One story leads to another, and suddenly you’re invested in something you never expected.
The Books That Built the Obsession
Ice hockey romance books vary a lot in how much the sport actually shows up on the page.
My Stubborn Heart sits at the lighter end. The hero is retired, so hockey mostly lives in the backstory.
Then there’s Susan May Warren’s Christiansen Family series, where the trope really takes hold. Across the six books, multiple heroes are professional ice hockey players, each dealing with different stages of their career — injury, pressure, identity, and life beyond the sport.
Some stories lean heavily into the emotional weight of that world.
Others take a completely different approach. Courtney Walsh’s trilogy, for example, leans hard into comedy, with three sisters each falling for hockey players on the same team. It plays with the trope in a much lighter, more humorous way.
Between those two ends of the spectrum, you get a wide range of tone — from high drama to laugh-out-loud moments.
The Dark, Brooding Hockey Hero
One pattern shows up again and again: the hockey player hero.
He’s usually tough, a little rough around the edges, and carrying something heavy.
There’s often a dark, brooding quality to these characters — and that seems to be a big part of the appeal.
The sport itself lends to it. Ice hockey is physical and intense. Roles like the enforcer suggest a life built around confrontation and resilience.
But at the same time, there’s a level of skill and precision involved. These players have to move with speed and control on ice — which creates an interesting contrast between toughness and grace.
That combination translates well on the page.
Hockey vs. Football in Romance Fiction
One surprising thing is how often hockey shows up compared to football.
American culture is saturated with NFL content, and yet in Christian and clean romance fiction, football players are relatively rare as heroes.
By contrast, ice hockey players appear again and again across multiple authors and series.
It’s an unexpected trend — especially from the outside looking in.
Why It Works (Even If You Know Nothing About Hockey)
We don’t have a single clear answer, but a few things stand out.
- Novelty: Coming from Australia, we had no exposure to ice hockey, which made it feel new and interesting.
- The contrast: Tough, physical athletes paired with precision and control on ice creates a compelling character type.
- Lack of overexposure: Unlike football, hockey still feels like a discovery rather than something everywhere in media.
You don’t need to understand the sport to enjoy the stories. In some ways, not knowing anything about it might even make the experience better.
The Bottom Line
Ice hockey romance is a niche that somehow works across very different tones and story styles.
Whether the sport is front and centre or just part of a character’s backstory, the trope holds up because of the characters it creates — and the emotional journeys they go through.
And apparently, you don’t need to live anywhere near ice to enjoy it.
If you’ve read any great ice hockey romance books, we’d love your recommendations.
