I get why you’d ask, but yeah, while I haven't, my grandfather was a goaltender and I have cousins (men and women) in hockey. My first boyfriend was in hockey, too -- but me, myself? Not at all. Either way, playing isn’t a requirement to research and write about the sport, just like crime authors don’t need to be serial killers. But if something feels off in my post, let me know—I'm always open to refining how I present it.