Hockey is having its moment, and it’s not just because the height of the NHL season is approaching.

In November, HBO Max acquired the rights to a Crave original TV series and subsequently released one of its biggest breakout shows yet: “Heated Rivalry.” Based on the novel by Rachel Reid, the story follows two hockey players — Montreal Metros’ Shane Hollander and Boston Raiders’ Ilya Rozanov — on their journey through their rookie season, the Olympics and their love story. The plotline brings a Romeo and Juliet arc, and not just because the athletes play for rival teams.

Professional male leagues like the NBA, NFL and NHL have been increasing efforts to be more inclusive but are notorious for projecting a message of traditional masculinity. Hockey, especially, has played into these stereotypes, as the league doesn’t have much representation outside of straight, white men.

The NHL’s first diversity and inclusion report in 2022 reported that “83.6% of employees across the NHL and its teams are white. … 93.14% of the NHL’s workforce identifies as straight or heterosexual, 1.52% as bisexual (and) 1.12% as gay.”

The year 2023 felt like a step backward for the LGBTQIA+ community, as the NHL — led by Commissioner Gary Bettman — banned Pride Tape after several NHL players refused to wear Pride Night-themed jerseys, primarily citing religious reasons.

The ban lasted for two weeks, lifting after continued backlash from fans and players.

And in the history of men’s professional sports, players haven’t shyed away from making homophobic remarks. In 2013, during Super Bowl media day, a cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers, Chris Culliver said, “We ain’t got no gay people on the team. They (got to) get up out (of) here if they do.”

And later, when asked if players should stay closeted, Culliver said, “(They’ve got to) come out 10 years later after (retiring).”

But more recently, measures have been taken to prevent such rhetoric. NBA players like LaMelo Ball, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards used anti-gay slurs and were later fined to prevent hateful language.

Now “Heated Rivalry” has demanded all the recent attention, pushing for a more accepting culture shift.

As critics like The Guardian said, “It reveals unexpected depth and humor.” The book and TV show portrays these successful, star athletes having to push down their feelings for fear of homophobic repercussions, and for Ilya Rozanov, fear of being in danger in his own country. The players even discuss waiting till retirement until coming out. However, in reality, the NHL and its players have taken steps to make players feel more accepted, regardless of how they identify.

Bettman, who banned Pride Tape in 2023, recognized the positive influence surrounding the hit TV show, saying he binged it all in one night.

“There are a lot of things about the game that we think are driving more and more people to the game,” Bettman said. “And I do believe ‘Heated Rivalry’ is one of those things.”

Teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals have held recent Pride Nights, with Pride Tape or jerseys, and the “Heated Rivalry” soundtrack played throughout the night.

The impact and popularity of the TV show have even spread to Russia, a country known for its strict LGBTQIA+ laws. The show has an 8.6 rating on Kinopoisk — Russia’s equivalent of IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes — surpassing other hit shows like “Game of Thrones.”

Within the United States, the franchise has been recognized by several celebrities, from Gloria Estefan to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani encouraged New Yorkers to read “Heated Rivalry” during a snowstorm, and after the fact, e-book downloads rose over 1,000% at the New York Public Library.

The main actors, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, even served as the 2026 Olympic torchbearers in Italy and appeared at the Golden Globes.

But “Heated Rivalry” is not just about mindlessly binging a show. One of the main actors of the series, François Arnaud, called on the NHL to “follow through” and support the open identities of its players.

On Jan. 13, former hockey player Jesse Kortuem came out on Facebook, crediting “Heated Rivalry” as his inspiration. Kortuem began by saying the ice rink felt like a place where he had to hide, but recently, he found his place. Near the end of the statement, Kortuem wrote, “There is room for all of us on the ice.”

Although Kortuem has been the only player to publicly come out, Williams revealed on Andy Cohen Live that closeted professional athletes from multiple professional leagues have reached out to him and Reid, sharing the show’s lasting impact on them.

“The fact that it’s had the social relevance that it’s had, obviously a huge thank you to them for putting hockey even more on the map and opening it up as far as eyeballs to a lot more people,” former NHL star Paul Bissonnette said in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “There’s just a lot of things that you could take away from that show that create a lot of positive discussion. It’s amazing that it was created and that it’s bringing more attention to hockey, too.”

For some players like Charlie McAvoy, “Heated Rivalry” has brought more viewers to the sport they’ve been working their entire careers to promote. McAvoy is a defenseman for the Boston Bruins and was one of several players to have Pride Tape on their stick in the Bruins’ “Hockey Is For Everyone” night.

McAvoy said to the media that the show was “growing the game a lot and in support of that community, so that stuff’s all awesome.”

McAvoy’s comments reflect a broader shift the league has slowly been inching toward — one where the conversation about inclusion is no longer theoretical or limited to theme nights and Pride Tape.

In 2021, Luke Prokop became the first openly gay player under NHL contract when he came out publicly as a Nashville Predators prospect. Prokop’s story shows that coming out doesn’t have to be at the end of a career, but instead can challenge the narrative because, as “Heated Rivalry” conveyed, love is just love.

In a sport built on tradition and toughness, “Heated Rivalry” is proving that visibility can be powerful. The series has rippling effects, from expanding hockey’s audience to making room for LGBTQIA+ fans and players who have historically felt hidden.

Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian. 

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