Published November 14, 2025
Hockey’s about to get a whole lot hotter—literally. The upcoming TV series Heated Rivalry has released a sizzling new promo poster, and let’s just say, it’s giving fans more than enough reason to start counting down the days until the season premiere.
In this fresh teaser, we see the two leading men, Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), locked in a clincher—and no, we’re not talking about a game-winning shot. Their muscular, shirtless bodies are pressed close together, framed by the show’s title, making it pretty clear that this drama is going to deliver on both the heat and the heart.
RELATED: The Wait is Over—’Heated Rivalry’ Trailer Finally Drops!
The poster, which hit social media this Wednesday, has already sent fans into a full-on frenzy. And who could blame them? These two hockey stars are poised to become your new obsession, with the chemistry between them already lighting up screens long before the premiere.
Heated Rivalry – A Gay Sports Romance That’s More Than Just a Game
Heated Rivalry isn’t just your average sports drama—it’s a game-changing addition to the gay sports romance genre, and it’s one that’s been years in the making. Written by Rachel Reid in 2019, the story is set within the world of Major League Hockey and follows the secret love affair between rising star Shane Hollander of the Montreal Meteors and Ilya Rozanov, a Russian phenom drafted by the Boston Raiders. They start off as rivals on the ice, but their relationship quickly becomes anything but competitive.
For Reid, a self-proclaimed NHL superfan based in Nova Scotia, this story was always personal. “There’s a lot of times that sport has broken my heart that had nothing to do with what was happening on the ice,” she confessed in a CBC interview. Her books, including Heated Rivalry, serve as a way of grappling with the emotional complexities of the sport—and for many fans, they’re also a form of therapy.
“I think the books are kind of like a little bit therapeutic for me and a way of pushing back a little,” Reid adds.
And it seems like those words resonate deeply with readers. Reid frequently hears from gay men, many of whom have complicated relationships with hockey—whether they’ve played the sport themselves or endured bullying from it. For some, the books provide a long-awaited opportunity to see themselves reflected in a world that’s often been cold and unwelcoming.
“I regularly get emails from gay guys who have similar feelings about hockey,” she shares. “The books really resonated with them… and also men who maybe got bullied by hockey players and have been carrying a lot of resentment towards hockey in general for a long time.”
Now, with the TV adaptation coming to life, these fans will finally see the on-screen romance they’ve been craving. And it looks like Heated Rivalry won’t just be about scoring goals; it will also tackle the emotional complexities of living a secret love story in the hyper-masculine world of professional sports.
A Shot at Love—and History
For many viewers, Heated Rivalry isn’t just a love story; it’s also a chance to reflect on a broader reality: the lack of openly queer players in professional hockey. As of now, there has never been an out gay or bi player in the NHL’s 108-year history. Heated Rivalry, in part, aims to explore that silence by giving viewers a glimpse of what could be—if only the world of hockey were a little more open-minded.
Canadian director and executive producer Jacob Tierney, who’s also an out queer man, says the show is a personal project for him as well. It’s no wonder that Heated Rivalry is already being hailed as a long-overdue addition to LGBTQ+ sports entertainment. Tierney, alongside Reid’s vision, is helping to make sure that Heated Rivalry doesn’t just take a slap shot at romance—it scores a goal for inclusivity.
The show will be exclusive to Canadian streaming service Crave at first, but the buzz surrounding it has already made international pick-up almost certain. That means fans from the U.S. and beyond will get a front-row seat to the passion, drama, and, yes, very sweaty moments that promise to keep audiences glued to their screens.
A World Premiere and the Anticipation
On November 23, a select few at Montreal’s Image+Nation LGBTQ film festival will have the privilege of attending the world premiere of the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry. For the rest of us, we’ll just have to wait until the episodes drop later this month, but with a hot ticket like this one, we’d say the wait is worth it.
At its heart, Heated Rivalry is about more than just steamy encounters on the ice. It’s about the tension between love and career, between public persona and private passion. If the chemistry in that first poster is any indication, it’s going to be a series that leaves fans both swooning and thinking deeply about what it means to truly live authentically.
So, whether you’re a die-hard hockey fan or just looking for a show that delivers heart, heat, and a whole lot of chemistry, Heated Rivalry is definitely one to keep your eye on. After all, in hockey—just like in love—it’s all about making the right move at the right moment. And if that involves a little shirtless clinch? Well, who’s complaining?
Let the game begin.
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