Based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling “Game Changers” book series, the Crave-produced series “Heated Rivalry” has become a hit worldwide. Available to watch on HBO Max, the series follows Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), rival professional hockey players who are in a secret relationship. During its debut week, the show accumulated around 30 million streaming minutes and surpassed 300 million by the end of December 2025. 

Beyond its streaming success, “Heated Rivalry” has sparked discussion about LGBTQIA+ representation in sports media. 

What the show represents

As “Heated Rivalry” follows the relationship between Hollander and Rozanov, the show spotlights the highly masculinized and heteronormative pressures men face in sports like hockey. 

Members of the Pride PEI hope the show can help create a safe space for people to be themselves. 

“It helps kind of contextualize for young queer folks that you are so much more than just your identity,” Cameron Cassidy, the executive director of Pride PEI, told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Steve Bruce. “You are a deep, meaningful person who can have all these types of relationships and feelings and family dynamics.”

Impact 

The show has inspired members of the LGBTQ community to share their stories with the team behind the show. Williams, who appeared on “Radio Andy,” said  athletes have reached out to him and his colleagues to share their experiences as closeted players and what the show means to them.

After seeing the show, hockey player Jesse Kortuem was inspired to publicly come out. In a statement posted to Facebook Jan. 13, Kortuem shared his story. 

Growing up in Minnesota, Kortuem said he carried a lot of weight on his shoulders and “lived in a constant state of dichotomy.” He lived in constant fear whenever he played hockey and wondered how he could be out in the heteronormative world of hockey. 

“I know many closeted and gay men in the hockey world are being hit hard by ‘Heated Rivalry’s’ success,” Kortuem said when speaking to Out. “Never in my life did I think something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport.”