""There are boy aquariums all over the United States," a TikTok creator explains in a recent post. The video then shows a clip of someone carrying a bucket filled with hockey pucks. "Come feed the fish at the boy aquarium with me," the closed captions reads. The person tosses the pucks onto the rink as players skate past. On TikTok, ice hockey arenas have been rebranded as "boy aquariums.""
"The National Hockey League's fan base overall is young, diverse, and online. Over half, 54%, are under the age of 44, according to Sport Radar, the second-youngest among the four major U.S. leagues. And the new legion of overwhelmingly female fans filling stadiums can be traced, in part, back to the popularity of BookTok's favorite "ice-hockey romance" genre. The uninitiated may be surprised to learn there are thousands of novels in this niche subcategory,"
Social media users on TikTok have embraced a meme calling ice hockey arenas 'boy aquariums,' with videos showing fans tapping Plexiglas, filming warmups, and throwing pucks onto rinks. Players and teams have joined the trend, posting playful videos and engaging with the label. The movement has encouraged group outings, especially among women, who report increased enjoyment and socializing at games. The NHL's fan base skews young and online, with 54% under 44, and recent attendance gains among female fans partly trace to BookTok's popularity for ice-hockey romance novels. Viral romance titles like Hannah Grace's Icebreaker helped introduce new readers to the sport's culture.
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