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.
Michaels wasn't originally sold on the HBK name. Legendary wrestler Curt Hennig was doing television commentary at the time and privately suggested the Heartbreak Kid name based on a line in a Chris LeDoux country song.
“Then one time, he blurted it out on commentary and from that time on, I started using it in interviews, and it stuck,” said Michaels. “Now I'm a 50-year-old man trying to pull off a name with kid in it.”
The acronym has done more than become a trending hashtag for Penguins fans to rally behind. It has evolved to everything from fan-made merchandise to an ‘HBK'-inspired Primanti's sandwich with ham, bacon and kielbasa.
“I have very little to do with this,” Michaels said. “I'm just fortunate to be carried in this huge Pens rush right now.”
Michaels is looking forward to Sunday's Game 5, which will be the first NHL game he has attended. He expects to appreciate the game more when seeing it live but acknowledges he is enthused about this being the start of something new for him.
“A number of folks have told me on social media that to see it in Pittsburgh at Consol Energy Center live during the playoffs, once I experience it that, I'd be a fan for life,” Michaels said. “I'm certainly on board for that.”
Justin LaBar is a Tribune-Review staff writer. He can be reached at
jlabar@tribweb.com or via Twitter
@JustinLaBar.
