I spoke with Shawn Michaels for a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the trending popularity of the “HBK Line” on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here’s an excerpt:
The Penguins are two wins away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final and gained a famous fan while riding the power of the letters H-B-K.
Welcome Shawn Michaels, a retired professional wrestler for WWE, who has long carried the name Heartbreak Kid and commonly referred to simply as “HBK.” His newfound fandom was sparked by the Penguins’ productive third line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel being known as the “HBK” line, based off the first initials of their last names. Michaels, who said on Twitter he will attend Game 5 on Sunday at Consol Energy Center, has endorsed and embraced the marketing.
“This is a merchandise and marketing campaign that I don’t know I ever had before,” Michaels said. “I don’t know that my first title run in the WWE was this frenetic with this much excitement around it. Maybe it’s because now with social media, you can actually see it.”
Michaels, 50, of San Antonio, got the nickname early in a career that spanned 25-plus years. The moniker was appropriate to the charismatic ladies’ man character he portrayed in the ring. The NHL postseason proved that many wrestling fans haven’t forgot the original HBK, and those who did were reminded via social media.
CLICK HERE to read more about how the HBK name started and him talk about his future as a hockey fan.
