There is a lot to digest after last night’s Eastern Conference Final game. Goaltending questions, late period goals, and resiliency all come to mind at first. However, there was another storyline that was going on off the ice that took over the fans and social media: The HBK line and Shawn Michaels. But, why is it that we go crazy over new celebrity fans?
In case you missed it, HBK is the line combo of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel. It is also the nickname of wrestling personality Shawn “The Heartbreak Kid… Michaels. As the Penguins, and the HBK line, heated up over the playoffs, social media made sure that Shawn Michaels was aware of Pittsburgh’s own HBK. Finally, Michaels caved and turned on game 2 of the ECF, and was introduced to the sport of hockey. The Penguins organization extended an invitation to Michaels to join them for game 5, and after some pressure from social media, he accepted. From there, HBK mania ensued:
Primanti Bros named a sandwich after HBK:
Cheer HBK. Live HBK. Now eat HBK w/ our ham, bacon & kielbasa sandwich, available for Game 4! #HBKSandwich #HBKLine pic.twitter.com/GO19Tnt3dY
— Primanti Bros (@primantibros) May 19, 2016
@ShawnMichaels HBKmania running wild in Pittsburgh - this is at the local grocery store pic.twitter.com/r7QyipPQRc
— Keegan (@Kekky89) May 20, 2016
One reason could be that fandom, in regards to rooting for the home team, is an “us… versus “them… mentality. Anything that helps distinguish “us… in a better light is something that we will hold on to and promote. Shawn Michaels was a highly decorated professional wrestler and has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He has a large following on social media (including over 3 million followers on Twitter). Getting him on the Penguins side is another aspect of the team that fans could feel separate them from others.
As a part of the “us… versus “them… mentality, any distinguishing factor - new or old - is up for grabs. We saw the Nashville Predators do this in game 3 against the Sharks, as they took a stab at “Pawvelski… prior to warmups. We shouldn’t be surprised to see the Lightning do something in game 6. Down Goes Brown has one idea of how this could be done:
The Lightning need to counter all this HBK love by playing this clip on the scoreboard before game six. https://t.co/NiCX4Ddh67
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) May 23, 2016
Before last night's game, many were talking about The Heartbreak Kid bringing luck to the Penguins. Maybe Pens fans will be looking to a new celebrity fan to bring luck if they can force game 7:
@mindykaling Want to come join us in person? We promise more exciting GIFs and would love to have you!
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 23, 2016
About Jillian:
Jillian Fisher is a sport anthropologist who focuses on sport culture and fan culture. Growing up with three older brothers, sports have always played a large part of her life. While she enjoys all sports, hockey has always been her first passion. Jillian has traveled across the world - from the Philippines to Italy and across the US - studying the impact of sports, all while cheering for the home team and discovering what makes each place so unique, even being referred to as the Anthony Bourdain of sports. She is currently filming her own web series, Out of the Park, that highlights the different cultures surrounding our favorite sports across the country. Always in search of the next event, Jillian can be contacted on Twitter, Instagram, or emailed at jillianfisher00[at]gmail.com