When was the last time your heart melted while watching ice hockey?
The new Canadian series Heated Rivalry, about star-crossed male hockey players who fall for each other but whose feelings are challenged by a season’s worth of drama, has been steaming up screens across North America since its Nov. 28 premiere.
The first period, er, episode gets underway with Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) introducing himself to fellow up-and-coming star Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) before a major international tournament, Ilya’s cockiness toward the earnest but buttoned-up Shane no match for the obvious spark between them.
“This is a gay love story set in the world of hockey, so its very existence is an act of rebellion,” show creator Jacob Tierney, who adapted the story from #Booktok fave Rachel Reid‘s queer hockey romance series Game Changers, told Toronto Life. “But the show itself is happily ever after. I didn’t want to subvert too many romance tropes.”
But if your algorithm hasn’t passed Heated Rivalry your way yet and you’re wondering who, what, where did this come from, how can I watch, and just how hot is this show, then skate no further because we’ve got you covered.
