• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Swift-Eh? NHL Hopes Taylor’s Magic Touch Boosts the Stanley Cup Final

After Taylor Swift provided a meaningful business lift to the NFL over the past two years, the NHL would like its own version of a Swift effect.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Pop music’s biggest superstar, having already elevated the NFL, has entered the hockey universe, and the NHL is eagerly looking to take advantage. 

Taylor Swift attended Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in Florida on Thursday with her boyfriend, Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce, and spent time during the game with hockey icon and TNT Sports commentator Wayne Gretzky. Swift and Kelce were featured several times during the game on the game broadcast and on digital and social media, and with the championship series between the Oilers and Panthers now tied at two games each, the NHL would like to see its own version of a Swift effect.

“Calling all Swifties … hockey is awesome and so are you,” NHL CMO Heidi Browning said in a social media post early Friday. “If you’ve never watched hockey before, now is the time! The series is tied, the matchup is tight, and hockey is a master class in athleticism. Check out Game 5 on Saturday.”

While plenty of celebrities, such as actors Will Ferrell and Steve Carell and pop star Justin Bieber, are noted hockey fans, the NHL has never had the kind of lift that Swift, one of the most popular and recognizable figures on the planet, can provide. Her fame and power are such that she has created a broad-based business boost to the NFL, the world’s most dominant sports league, over the past two years as her relationship with Kelce has blossomed. 

During the 2023 NFL season, Swift generated more than $331 million in brand value for the Chiefs and the NFL, and she was credited for an extended series of increases to television viewership, merchandise sales, and social media consumption for the league, particularly among female fans. While Swift was on tour for a sizable chunk of the 2024 season, her impact on turning many of her fans into lasting football fans remained. The effect has been so great that even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has taken notice.

Swift attending NFL games has been “nothing but a blessing,” Goodell said early last year. “She loves great entertainment, and I think that’s why she loves NFL football.”

Big Emotions

Far from just a casual night out with Kelce, Swift appeared to be drawn heavily into the drama of Thursday’s game in which the Oilers rebounded from an early 3–0 deficit to defeat the Panthers in overtime. After a late, game-tying goal by Florida to force the extra period, she was spotted saying to Kelce, “That was so crazy!” Minutes later, she repeatedly tapped her chest, signaling how much her pulse was pounding, and told him, “My heart!”

Through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL had a predictably mixed result in viewership. U.S. audiences have declined so far, particularly as this year’s broadcast is back on the cable-based TNT Sports in the annual rights rotation with ESPN and ABC parent Disney. Canadian audiences, however, have grown with the presence of the Oilers in the series. 

With the series now guaranteed to go at least six games, stronger numbers on both sides of the border are likely for the upcoming contests—figures that could be boosted further by Swift’s ability to draw in additional fans.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to the crowd as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at TD Garden.

WNBA Viewership Up Across All Networks Compared to 2024

Non-Fever games are up 37% compared to the full 2024 season.

Shannon Sharpe Out at ESPN Following Rape Suit Settlement

He’s been off-air since April, planning to return for the NFL season.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) celebrates winning Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Amazon, TNT Post Near-Identical NASCAR Ratings in Debut Season

The cable channel is a new media-rights partner this season.

Trey Hendrickson Ends $450K Holdout Without New Bengals Deal

The defensive end is seeking a raise on his $16 million 2025 salary.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
LeBron James
exclusive

LeBron Boat Meeting in France With Jokić Agent Was About New League

The power trio was discussing a new global basketball league.
July 30, 2025

Ex-NBPA Director Defends Two-Apron System: ‘There’s No Hard Cap’

The NBA’s two-apron system started in the 2023–24 season.
Moe Wagner
July 30, 2025

NBA Adding European Games As It Explores New League

The Magic and Grizzlies will play in Berlin and London in January 2026. 
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 29, 2025

How Sports Leagues Are Responding to NFL Headquarters Shooting

The building housing the NFL headquarters was barricaded and closed Tuesday.
Jul 27, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; Leylah Fernandez (CAN) celebrates with the championship trophy after her match against Anna Kalinskaya (not pictured) in the women's singles final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center.
July 29, 2025

DC Open Increases Women’s Purse by 39%, Keeps 2027 Target for Equal..

DC Open chairman Mark Ein spoke to Front Office Sports.
July 29, 2025

Golf Major Bringing Biggest Women’s Sporting Event to Wales

Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is hosting the AIG Women’s Open.
NYPD
July 29, 2025

Shooter at NFL Building Targeted League Over Head Injuries

The gunman shot one league employee in the building lobby.