Two skaters, one romance, and a cottage. No, this isn’t your typical hockey story… this is Heated Rivalry!
Heated Rivalry has taken the internet by storm with its openly queer characters, spicy romance, heart-wrenching storylines, and, of course, hockey. The show is based on the book Heated Rivalry, which is part of the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid.
So, how did a gay hockey romance from Canadian streaming service Crave become an overnight sensation? Writer and director Jacob Tierney claimed that he “did not expect ” Heated Rivalry to see such widespread success, but that it was a great thing if it made the hockey world feel safer, which it ultimately did.
“Safer” is the keyword to understanding the show’s success. Heated Rivalry blends communities to create a large, safe space for millions of viewers. Several communities, in particular, were vocal about the show’s impact on them: the LGBTQ+ community (especially queer athletes), women, and, surprisingly, anime fans.
- . The LGBTQ+ Community
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The first major group of Heated Rivalry viewers, the LGBTQ community, makes up a large amount of the show’s fan base. As queer romance becomes more normalized on television, the LGBTQ community has shared their personal experiences with their identities.
Heated Rivalry follows characters Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander as they navigate their separate journeys toward accepting their identities and their love for each other. Seeing the two go through their lives and careers, all while trying to find themselves, had a huge impact on viewers who have similar experiences.
Dylan, a fan of the show, told The Today Show, “As a gay Asian man, I see myself in Shane. He wanted to depict queer joy. Seeing that on TV hit home for me.” Dylan’s sentiment about seeing “queer joy” on the screen is one many viewers share, as many queer characters in media do not get to have these moments of joy.
Throughout television and movie history, several queer characters have been tragically killed on screen, in turn creating the “Bury Your Gays” trope. Viewers are often robbed of seeing queer joy on screen due to the characters being subjected to horrific ends, so a show that displays queer love without a major tragedy is comforting to queer viewers.
While the LGBTQ+ community is large and diverse, there are still several people and places where queer people struggle with their identity. Heated Rivalry has created a ripple effect among many queer athletes, providing a welcoming space for them to come out and become comfortable with their identities.
For example, Jesse Kortuem, a professional hockey player, credited Heated Rivalry in a heartfelt post he made to Facebook. He told BBC Sports, “To finally have that relief to bring 110% of myself into the locker room. Something was speaking to me through the show—I had to let something out.” A show made on a small budget by an even smaller production company has helped bring a community together.
@Jesse Kortuem via Facebook. - . Women
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Another large demographic of Heated Rivalry watchers is women. Women are usually the primary consumers of BookTok and romance series, especially sports-related romance series. For example, the book Icebreaker, about a female figure skater and male hockey player falling in love, helped spark the craze over sports romance, as it sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
@milliesbookclub via Instagram. However, Icebreaker is a straight romance, so why are women so drawn to a gay hockey romance? Professor of Psychology Gayle Stever told The Today Show, “I think that women are attracted to relationships that are between two social equals. The way society is structured currently, it is often the case that a relationship between a man and a woman has a power imbalance (not always, but often). So when women enter a ‘fantasy’ scenario, part of the ideal is to remove that imbalance.”
Because of the patriarchal structure that women live under every single day, they have wanted to see new types of romance that show that there doesn’t always have to be a power imbalance. Some may also argue that women have enjoyed seeing two men interact in kind, considerate, and yes, steamy ways with each other, because it is not something that they see often. Having more communities exposed to Heated Rivalry not only helps to normalize queerness in television but also normalizes treating people as equals.
- . Anime Fans
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Perhaps the most surprising group to have come to love the show is anime fans, but for an extremely niche reason. The term “anime fans” is really an umbrella term for Yuri on Ice fans.
Yuri on Ice came out in 2016, and the storyline is set around two male figure skaters, one Russian and one Japanese, who fall in love over the buildup to the Grand Prix finals. Many fans pointed out the similarities between the two shows: both have a Russian and Asian romance, are centered around ice sports, and, of course, have emotional gay storylines.
@marieyoihr via TikTok. This TikTok edit, which uses an instrumental from Yuri on Ice, has over 600 comments from fans of both shows, showing how the fandoms have mixed. Sadly, Yuri on Ice was cancelled after just one season, but this has compelled many fans to watch Heated Rivalry to get over their heartbreak of the cancellation.
While there are several other reasons Heated Rivalry rose to fame, including the enticing personalities of its actors, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, the unapologetic scenes depicting gay sex, and the nostalgic feeling of the show, Heated Rivalry has become a safe space for millions of people. The series shows us that you should be unapologetic in who you love and who you are, because all love is valid, even on the ice.