ABSTRACT
Ice hockey is one of the fastest growing spectator sports in North America. The most prominent hockey league, the National Hockey League, is growing at a quick pace and is the most recent North American major professional sport league to expand their league to new markets (Las Vegas in 2017 and Seattle in 2021). With this quick growth comes a need to better understand the consumption behavior of hockey fans. How do they become fans? What comes as a result of that fandom? What are the differences amongst fans? This chapter will provide an overview of the contemporary research on hockey fans including the significance and functions of fandom, the socialization process, relevant sport fan theories, and the consequences and results of fandom. As well, this chapter will discuss future trends of hockey fan research and highlight what needs to come next. This chapter will allow for a good understanding of where research on hockey fans has been, where it is headed, and the important issues surrounding the growth of professional hockey in North America.
