Heated Rivalry

Heated Rivalry is a Canadian sports romance series created, written and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave. It stars Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, François Arnaud, Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Dylan Walsh, Robbie G.K., Nadine Bhabha, Matt Gordon, and Sophie Nélisse. It is based on the Game Changers novel series by Canadian author Rachel Reid. The show debuted on November 28, 2025 with the episode Rookies which was met with very positive reviews and viewership.

In the show, Canadian Shane Hollander of the Montreal Metros and Russian Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Raiders are both professional ice hockey players. The both have a rivalry on the ice which is amplified by the media but off the ice, they both enter a relationship with each other in private while playing their careers.

The show has been praised for its ability to portray what a closeted athlete can be like, as well as, the cultural challenges of being both queer and closeted in both Canada and Russia. The show is not available to stream in Russia because of their anti-LGBTQ laws but it still became one of the highest rated shows in the country on Kinopoisk with a rating of 8.6 user rating, becoming even popular than shows such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Several closeted gay athletes reached out to Williams after the show became popular to show their support. Williams and Storrie have also been praised for their performances.

On December 12,2025, it was announced that Heated Rivalry was renewed for a second season.

References

Other websites

Category:2020s Canadian drama television series
Category:2020s Canadian sports television series
Category:2020s LGBT television series
Category:2020s romance television series
Category:2025 Canadian television series debuts
Category:Bisexuality-related television series
Category:Canadian English-language television shows
Category:Television shows based on novels
Category:Television series by Bell Media
Category:Television series set in Boston
Category:Television series set in Las Vegas
Category:Television series set in Los Angeles
Category:Television series set in Montreal
Category:Television series set in New York City
Category:Television series set in Saskatchewan