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PuckDrunk is what happened when I hyperfocused on hockey towards the end of 2025. I had been a casual fan for a couple years but, newly single and desperate for an escape, hockey entered the lexicon of mainstream pop culture with the Heated Rivalry show. My downtime became completely consumed by hockey. I was losing sleep to stay up late drinking in back-back-back games, behind-the-scenes content, analytical podcasts, and the neverending scroll of hockeytok. Once I started posting on tiktok I found my internet kin, and that algorithm has worked overtime to keep me inebriated since.
When I first started designing for PuckDrunk, my mind began thinking only in pithy one-liners to print on t-shirts. Outside of officially licensed merchandise, my main inspiration was Double Hockey Stix. However, while I never copied their work, it felt fraudulent. The thing I admire most about Double Hockey Stix is that they state their opinion with their chest - loud and in print. You look at that work and you connect with it because it feels genuine. I know this because I have several of their products, each of which I felt was made especially for me. Not necessarily in a deep way - some of my items just made me genuinely laugh. But that’s just it: I can feel their authenticity.
Now, I have started to design with more intention. I ask myself with each design why I feel moved to create it - What am I communicating? What draws me to this player? Why does this feel true to me? While every answer might not be in print, I know each question to be answered, and each answer to be true.
I get that a lot of people don’t care about the artist’s intention, and frankly your dollar is as good as the next. This bit is for the people who like to peek behind the curtain. I hope that whatever you choose to peruse and purchase connects to whatever you need it to.
