KENDRA COLLAB: WHY HOCKEY, WHY HABS, WHY COLLAB?

The instant I saw Kendra on popular HFTV habs influencer/media page, I lost my mind. I was like, "Who is this woman, and how do I work with her." I can't even remember who followed each other first, but we were both instantly yapping back and forth at one another about all the ideas in our heads that aligned. Within minutes of knowing each other, talks of a collab were in the air. 

Kendra brings a really fresh and funny point of view to hockey, specifically Habs hockey, which is one of my top 3 teams. Her knowledge of their game inspires me and cracks me up. Parts 1 and 2 of these collections are really her brainchild with me playing the role similar to bumpers in a bowling alley, allowing her to crash-course her way into designing products, with me keeping her (somewhat) in line. We're obsessed with our love-child (the products) and can't wait to see you all rocking them this season! Check out parts 1 and 2 of her collection now. Available now through December 31st, 2025.

TW: Themes of depression

 

Q: Tell us about you. Who is KENDRA?!

Hi, I’m Kendra, and I’m a HUGE fan of the Montreal Canadiens! I like to think of myself as a mirco-niche internet celebrity. I love being silly and sharing every single thought in my brain on my Instagram story. I also occasionally post hockey content! My dream job? I’m unsure. I just love to yap, connect with others, and I know my voice needs to be shared with the world. I’m 24, I have my undergrad in Drama and French. I’m currently studying Office Administration. I live in a small town about an hour north of Toronto. I’m a Gemini sun, Sagittarius moon, and Scorpio rising. I like long romantic walks down the aisle to the glass so I can watch warm-ups. I’m an ENFP... Anyways, I have a lot of interests and fun facts I could share, but unfortunately, the upcoming NHL season is the only thing occupying my brain at the moment.

Q: How did you get into hockey? How did the Habs become your team?

Honestly, getting into hockey was completely out of character for me. I hated sports growing up. I never watched them. My mom played hockey recreationally while I was growing up. She played in the first-ever official Women’s World Hockey tournament in 1987. She’s even played against some of the first women ever inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and she kept playing recreationally while I was growing up. I hated attending her games. The only thing that kept me interested was the concession stand. I was a stereotypical fat kid. I avoided physical activity like the plague. I was a drama kid, not an athlete. 

Fast forward to early 2024. I was in university and I really struggled with my mental health. I went from being super social on campus to becoming a complete recluse. I had no hobbies, no hyperfixations—nothing that lit up my brain. I rarely got out of bed. I’ve struggled with depression since I was a teen, but I used to be able to talk to people about my feelings. By this point, I was so stuck in my own mind and knew I wasn’t going to make an effort to get better, so I decided to stop reaching out to my loved ones because I didn’t want to burden them. 

Then, somehow, the Instagram algorithm started showing me hockey content. I still don’t know how it happened, but eventually, I came across videos from HFTV and found it hilarious how passionate people were about the Montreal Canadiens. Later, I fell in love with Arber Xhekaj’s story and how he went from working at a Costco to being an NHL player. Iconic. 

Soon, I started watching hockey games, even though I had zero clue what was going on. It was so comforting for me. For three hours, three times a week, my brain finally forgot how to hate myself, and I just listened to the sounds of skates on ice, pucks being passed, and fans erupting after a goal. It gave me peace. 

The Habs weren’t even good that season. I chose a team in the middle of a rebuild that had ZERO chance at playoffs, but weirdly, that made me love them more. I felt like I was in a rebuild, too. I didn’t know how to root for myself yet, so I rooted for them. I can’t say they inspired me to turn my entire life around, but they gave me a sense of peace when I really needed it, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.

Then, during March break, I went to see the Habs play in Montreal. That was it. I was hooked. The atmosphere was electric. I felt like a little kid again. It was this sacred, spiritual experience. I knew there was no going back.

Q: How did you start making parody songs and getting involved in the Habs fan community on social media?

At the time, I was studying at Bishop’s University, which is located in Sherbrooke, it’s about two and a half hours from Montreal. So, I just decided to start taking a bus to Montreal as often as I could, so I could do post-game interviews with HFTV. 

Luckily, they thought I was funny and started posting snippets of our interviews on their social media. From there, things just kind of took off. I found this fun, weird little corner of hockey fandom where people didn’t take themselves too seriously, and I leaned all the way in. Hockey became a way to connect with people and have fun with something that had brought me so much comfort during a difficult time. I definitely skipped way too much class and spent way too much money, but I regret none of it. I met so many amazing people just because we love the same team. The silly CH logo on my chest was like a bat signal for community. I was obsessed with how easy it was to talk to someone because of it. 

Why was it important for you to branch into merch collaborations? 

I’m a silly goose who has a passion for fashion (lest we also forget to mention a credit card!!) However, the NHL has decided to neglect us ladies time and time again. I was also pretty disappointed with the selection of Habs merch out there. For such a historic team, you think they’d have LOADS of apparel that would honour its heritage, but also feel fresh. I was also sick and tired of the minimalist WAG-esque merch out there. I’m not paying 80 dollars for a shirt with a tiny logo on it! So it was important to me to actually offer classic pieces not only for women, but for everyone! Additionally, I love how Lacey from Double Hockey Stix makes very silly and very fan oriented merch. Specific player merch in particular. Habs fans are known as such an insanely energetic fanbase and we needed to have something that honoured our passion for the game! We had to honour my comedic side as well.

Why do you think it's so important for women and female-adjacent fans to have spaces to fan-out the way they want within the hockey community? How does being yourself as a hockey fan empower other female fans to do the same?

It’s so important to have safe spaces for female sports fans, period. Female fans are underrepresented and underappreciated across pro men’s leagues like the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL. If you’ve ever been on hockey Twitter, you know how toxic it can get.

Ced and Alex from HFTV are incredible interviewers, but I also completely understand how intimidating it can be as a woman who loves a sport, especially if you’re not “an expert” to go on camera while swarms of drunk men are waiting outside the Bell Centre to also get interviewed. Trust me, I was that woman. But my love for the Habs outweighed the fear. I wanted to express myself any way that I could. And since then, so many women have cheered me on because they finally saw someone who represented them.

I’ll never forget standing in line at the Bell Centre waiting to see Youppi! (the mascot.) I was wearing my HFTV jersey and suddenly a man in front of me turned and said, “Hey, my daughter would love a picture with you.” His daughter must’ve been no older than 12. I was stunned. I want to cry just thinking about it. That’s when it hit me: visibility matters. I’m not a religious person, but it felt like God was sending me a sign to embrace the inner child that I’ve suppressed for so long. 

Being an insane Habs fan online also connected me with amazing people like Lacey from Double Hockey Stix. Without that, our collaborations wouldn’t have happened, and fans wouldn’t have gotten the fun, bold, divalicious merch we’ve been able to create together. Being able to create something special, flashy, and fun for EVERYONE, but for women in particular, is such an honour. 

HFTV has a huge, loyal following. I’ve probably made it onto their page about 8 or 9 times, so it was cool to see how it went from mostly male interviewees to me. The most viewed video I was in was when I described a game as being “more painful than a year’s worth of periods.” Women from other fanbases commented, saying, “I’m a [insert team] fan, and I totally relate.” That’s the beauty of women in hockey fandom: we’ll follow content creators from other teams because we connect on experience, not just the logo on our jerseys.

Since I’ve been featured on HFTV’s page, I’ve met so many women who want to create sports content or even work in sports media. They’ve told me I inspire them to love their team loudly and unapologetically. I think it’s also important to acknowledge how powerful it is for them to see a fat woman rant and rave about her team. You don’t have to know how to play hockey to love hockey. You don’t have to look a certain way. You don’t have to know everything. All you have to do is watch!

Just like I fell in love with HFTV because they built a community around the Habs, I feel like I’ve done the same in my own way. Some people have even told me they started watching the Habs because of me. That’s surreal. Your voice matters. And who knows — if you keep sharing your own sports content, maybe one day you’ll be announcing your own merch! 

Are Arber Xhekaj and Florian Xhekaj really your second cousins?

Hahaha! Oh, Lacey, of course you asked me this. For those of you who don’t know, I have two jerseys that say “Xhekaj 2nd Cousin” on it with Arber and Florian’s numbers on them because I just thought it would be funny, and my parasocial relationship with them is so strong that I basically consider them to be family. Funny story, I wore the jersey with Florian’s number on it when I went to see the Laval Rocket,  and saw Xhekaj’s sisters in line for the bathroom. So, picture this, I’m exiting the stall, I spot them, I don’t want to act weird (too late, Kendra), but I make eye contact, and one of his sisters goes “Hi, Cousin!” and smiles at me, and I had a lovely 30-second conversation with them. This also happened on Family Day, which is a statutory holiday in several Canadian provinces. So, I’d say on a spiritual level, we are cousins at this point. 

Where can people find/support you?

Instagram: kendra.444 (most active)

Tiktok: 444kendra444

Email for business inquiries: 444kendra444@gmail.com 

Anything else you'd like to share?

Your voice matters. You don’t have to look a certain way to talk about sports. You don’t have to know everything about your favourite team or sport, just go cheer them on. If you work in sports, I am so proud of you. I know it wasn’t easy getting there, and if you READ this whole thing. Wow, I love you. I’m gonna be a toxic Gemini and lovebomb you. You’re a real one. If you read this far, thank you so much for your support, and I hope you HAB a nice day!!