Howard Shapiro’s previous hockey graphic novel, The Hockey Saint, released in 2015, looked at the early career of protagonist Jeremiah Jacobson and his desire to become a better person and player. Set ten years later, Jacobson is dealing with the end of his injury-addled career, and is struggling with problems that is getting in the way of his self-fulfilment in Hockey Karma.
The title is in reference to an eye for an eye philosophy that an opposing player holds regarding a hit Jacobson laid on a teammate years prior to the story, but it also reflects the life of Jacobson and how his attempts to give back to the community that he calls home lead him on the path to a better life.