How to Land a Hockey Player Boyfriend (According to the Internet)

Real-life advice & anecdotes about what it's like to be a WAG

Co-authored by Dev Murphy, MA Reviewed by John Keegan

Last Updated: February 15, 2026 Fact Checked

Whether you're on your third rewatch of Heated Rivalry (no shade!), or you're just all about that puck bunny life, you might be wondering how you can find your own pro hockey star boyfriend—and maybe even ✨husband✨. We're here to help, and we brought the entire internet with us! Keep reading for a list of tips (from the serious to the deeply unserious) culled from TikTokers, Redditors, and Instagram users about how and where to find a hockey boyfriend, how to get his attention, and what it's like to be in a relationship with him.

How do you find a hockey player boyfriend?

On social media, real-life WAGS offer a lot of mostly tongue-in-cheek advice on how to find a hockey BF, but a lot of it rings true. Learn as much as you can about the sport, regularly attend games, and hang out at restaurants the players frequent. Try to get involved wherever you can, like selling merch for a team.

1

Be a regular at hockey games.

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And look hot, obviously. In an Instagram reel by user @jordanleighlaine, she and her fellow Heated Rivalry-loving friend sit in the stands at a hockey game seductively applying lip gloss. The video is captioned, "Teaching my friends to fish at the boy aquarium," and it's appropriately backdropped by t.A.T.u.'s "All the Things She Said" (IYKYK!).

2

Hang out at a hockey bar after a game.

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TikToker and WAG @kellyklaing insists the best way to meet a guy IRL—whether he's a pro hockey player or just a fan—is to find an arena that has a restaurant or bar in it and hang out there after a game. "You will probably be one of the only females in that restaurant," she notes. "The men are gonna come right over there and talk to you."

3

Be sorta mean to him.

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As TikToker @sassyandcivoc shared, one way to meet a hockey player is to show up in places where he might be—but then make him think you couldn't care less about him. The 11-year WAG was partying at a bar near a hockey stadium in Portland when a pro hockey player walked in, but she was too busy living it up with her girl friends to pay him much attention. She claims her future husband was so enchanted by her nonchalance and her refusal to fawn over him that he fell for her at first sight!

4

Learn everything there is to know about hockey.

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Seems obvious, but we had to say it. As TikToker @see_fitz notes, if you want a hockey boyfriend, you need to learn a little something about the sport (or at least pretend you love it). This includes understanding what the word "ferda" means (it's a contraction that means "for the," as in "ferda good of the team"), choosing a favorite player who's not obvious (in other words, not Jack Hughes), and, y'know, learning the rules of the game. "Bonus points if you know how to skate," @see_fitz adds.

5

Work the merch table at a game.

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As TikToker @whitneykaskisuo explains, it was working a hockey-adjacent job that brought her pro hockey player husband into her life. "At the time, I also worked for his old junior hockey team in the NHL, the Minnesota Wilderness, and I would just run their merch table on game days…. I think he bought a hat." Though they met at the game, it wasn't until a month later that they started going out, after they matched on Tinder!

6

Lure him to Olive Garden with chewing tobacco.

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WAG and TikToker @lexilafleurbrown points out the obvious: hockey players love chewing tobacco and carboloading (well, OK, maybe not all of them, but hers clearly does). So if you want to attract a hockey player, she's got a plan: "You are going to leave a trail of chewing tobacco leading to a local Olive Garden restaurant," she instructs. "You are going to tell the server, 'Keep the carbs coming.' …A hockey player will wander in and sit down. You're going to ask him his opinion on goalie interference. Next thing you know, it's been three hours, and you just had your first date with a hockey player." Bada-bing, bada-boom.
- If this all sounds like too much work, you can just take our quiz to find your Heated Rivalry boyfriend.

7

Enroll in a college with a great hockey program.

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Attend college for your MRS (or WAG). Redditor @biscuitgoeson posted to the subreddit r/ApplyingToCollege asking for advice on where to go to find a future pro hockey star, saying, "im just so in love with that nhl wag lifestyle. hockey guys are just so HOT." (Sure, there's more to a relationship than hockey, but we can't disagree with her!)
- OK, it's unclear if this is a sh*tpost, but we hope it's not. In any case, one helpful commenter advised checking out schools with strong D1 hockey programs, if you're curious….

8

Be OK with cradle-robbing.

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You've probably got a pretty short window in which to find a hockey player your age: most pro hockey players are young dudes, as this TikTok by user @crystalsorem laments. So if you're a 30-plus-year-old puck bunny, open yourself up to the idea of dating a much younger guy, if you aren't already.

9

Pretend the stench of sweaty hockey gear doesn't bother you.

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In a post to r/AskReddit, user @anasannanas asked for intel on what it's like being involved with professional athletes, and user @waldobloom92 spilled the beans on dating a hockey player: "I dated a pro hockey player that was in the national team. It was smelly." User @The-Reddit-Giraffe piggy-backed on their comment, adding, "Takes forever to get the smell of the hockey gloves off the hands." Stock up on noseplugs now, friend!
- Want to know what it'd really be like to date a hockey star? Check out our Heated Rivalry dating simulator.

10

Be OK with him missing some birthdays and anniversaries.

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Most of this article is tongue-in-cheek, but we won't beat around the bush, here: professional hockey players are busy, and dating one, as TikToker @kellyklaing says, can be a lot like being in a long-distance relationship. "They are going to need to be at every single game," she says in a video about what to expect from a relationship with a hockey player. "They just can't miss a game because it's your birthday." While she clearly loves her fiancé, she advises that you only get involved with a hockey player if you're comfortable being alone a lot and have goals, hobbies, and a social circle of your own, since he'll be on the road often.

11

Accept that you will be cold for the rest of your life.

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TikToker @kellyklaing adds a small but significant warning: if you want to be involved with a hockey player, it'll probably mean spending a lot of time at the rink, and it gets pretty darn chilly in there. We recommend investing in a nice warm jacket and some Hot Hands. That, or try to find a boyfriend who plays a warmer sport, like beach volleyball.