On Nov. 28, 2025, the first episode of Heated Rivalry premiered on Canadian streaming service Crave. Soon after, it was picked up by HBO Max, making it more accessible to international audiences. Heated Rivalry is originally the first book in the series Game Challengers by Rachel Reid. The show adaptation–which is 6 episodes long–revolves around two hockey players, each captain of their respective team. Ilya Rozanov is a bisexual, Russian player for the Boston Raiders, and Shane Hollander is a gay, half-Japanese, half-white Canadian player for the Montreal Metros. The show kicks off with their first meeting, placed at the 2008 World Junior Hockey Championships. This first interaction highlights their contrasting personalities, with Shane acting friendlier and more approachable than Ilya, who appears uninterested in small talk.
Episode one–Rookies– covers three years starting from their first meeting. Although they are viewed as rivals by the general public, it is established that they do have respect–that borders on attraction–for one another. The show establishes its NHL equivalent–Major League Hockey (MLH.) Shane wins Rookie of the Year at the MLH awards–furthering the tension between the athletes. Despite the connection they have developed, the show reminds the audience that they are first and foremost rivals. They do, however, end up kissing outside the venue where the after party for the awards is held, which ends with Shane pushing Ilya away for fear of being seen.
Shane and Ilya continue having a sexual relationship, building up to their first time being fully intimate with each other–five years after their initial meeting. Episode 2–Olympians–showcases the 2014 Winter Olympics, taking place in Ilya’s home country of Russia. This episode provides more insight into Ilya’s familial dynamic with his brother and father, revealing what was teased in the previous episode. Due to a poor performance from Ilya’s team, immense pressure from his father and the bittersweet feelings of coming home to a country that would never accept his identity as a queer man, he becomes distal with Shane.
Through this change in setting, the audience is able to see Ilya’s dynamics with his best friend from Russia, Svetlana, as well as Ilya’s old hookup–Sasha. Sasha attempts to rekindle their old relationship, but is turned down, hinting that things have changed due to Shane’s new role in his life. Despite their distance, it is clear that Ilya does care for Shane. After consistently dodging texts and avoiding each other, Shane and Ilya co-present an award at the MLH ceremony. Shane snaps at Ilya soon after, upset that their first time talking in months was due to a mandatory event. This leads to a hookup, but it does not feel like a victorious moment. It is rough and does not serve as a resolution to their conflict.
There is no lingering or reassurance when the act is over, as the episode ends with an overwhelming feeling of dejection, where Shane attempts to text Ilya. One draft reads “We did not even kiss,” but ultimately he sends nothing.
These first two episodes do an excellent job of establishing the complicated relationship Shane and Ilya share, especially highlighting the experience gap between them, as Shane has never been with another man in the way that he is with Ilya. The pain of forcing their connection behind closed doors, their presence on rival teams and the societal shame in being queer–especially as an athlete–is explored beautifully. This is done both explicitly and with smaller details such as body language and insecure line deliveries.
Episode 3–Hunter–takes the spotlight away from the main couple, focusing on Scott Hunter, a friend of Shane’s, and the smoothie shop worker he meets, Kip Grady. The episode revisits the beginning of the hockey season, exploring the romantic relationship between the two. From the awkward stage of Scott getting the same smoothie multiple times just to talk to Kip, to their first sexual encounter quickly shifting into a proper relationship leading straight into an established relationship between the two, the episode introduces the thrilling yet occasionally depressing experience of dating a famous person behind the scenes. Scott is incredibly enthusiastic, as he immediately asks Kip to move in with him, which he also agreed to immediately.
The main issues in their relationship stem from the fact that there are no MLH players who are out as LGBTQ+, and, due to these societal pressures, Scott is not ready to come out to the public. Kip cannot tell anyone–most notably his father whom he lives with–and despite the amount of happiness the relationship gives him, the secrecy weighs on him heavily. Scott even tries to visit an art museum–a particular interest of Kip’s–with him, but ends up leaving out of fear. This mixture of emotions accumulates at the end of the episode, where Kip wants Scott to meet his friends via his birthday celebration. Scott vehemently declines, especially because it would be located at a gay bar.
The episode ends on a sour note, leaving the audience frustrated. They are stuck between understanding Scott’s hesitation, while simultaneously sympathizing with Kip. In terms of audience reception, many did not appreciate the change in focus, as it is a “skip” for some fans of Heated Rivalry. However, this episode is necessary, as it brings important topics to the table. As opposed to Shane and Ilya’s situation, in this couple only one of them is a famous hockey player perceived by the public as a straight man. The show manages to portray the shameful and heart-wrenching feeling of dating someone closeted, while being out yourself. This is an extremely common queer experience, making it a relevant theme for people to see on a tv show. Representation is crucial, especially considering the homophobic attitudes of the real-life NHL. While it is valid to prefer the episodes surrounding the main couple, it is unfair not to give Hunter a chance, as it cuts deep for the queer community as well.
Episode 4–Rose–returns to our main couple, whose situationship seems to have returned to full throttle. That is, until Ilya asks Shane to stay the night for the first time after having sex, and in his own home no less. Shane accepts, and the morning after marks a shift in their dynamic, as it feels strangely domestic, with Ilya caring for Shane through gestures such as preparing breakfast for him. Ilya receives a call about his father’s deteriorating health, a scene in which he finally explains the situation and verbalizes his stress to Shane. This vulnerability leads into a sexual encounter, in which they refer to each other by their first names. This is yet another gesture suggesting a shift from casual to serious for the first time. This exchange possesses a different energy than their somewhat detached relationship, and it scares Shane, who tells Ilya that he “cannot do this” before leaving.
Shane is introduced to famous actress Rose Landry at a party, and enters a romantic relationship with her. She is beautiful, charismatic and they enjoy their time with each other. The problem? Their sexual relationship is completely unsatisfactory. After a heated hockey game, both Ilya and Shane wind up at the same club. In a scene many fans have replicated online with the song All The Things She Said by t.A.T.u., Shane dances with Rose as he locks eyes with Ilya–dancing with a woman he met that night. Shane brings Rose home and they have sex, while Ilya pleasures himself in his shower. The perspective shifts between the two, and it is clear that both men have the other in mind during these encounters.
The yearning both men are experiencing is portrayed strongly within the episode. Despite not fully belonging to one another, both athletes experience jealousy whenever they see the other with someone else, sexually or romantically. However, for Shane, it is more complicated. Through his relationship with Rose, we see him deal with compulsory heterosexuality–a phenomenon that queer people experience due to external or internal pressures to be heterosexual. It is clear that he misses Ilya, but he will not allow it to cross his mind until he is forced to face the issue, something that the next episode immediately addresses immediately.
Rose not-so-subtly implies that Shane might be gay, and she becomes the first person he comes out to. This results in them breaking up, but Rose is determined to stay friends–best friends–she says. Shane and Ilya’s usual position as rivals changes as they go to Miami and participate in an All-Star Game, in which they play on the same team for the first time. Their chemistry on the ice is incredible, their connection clearly contributing to their performance. Returning to their team hotel, Shane comes out as gay to Ilya, and Ilya opens up more about his family.
Ilya does not show up to a game, and though the media is surprisingly quiet, Shane grows concerned. They share a sexually intimate call, and although it is clear that something happened with Ilya, he would rather spend time with Shane than think about it. However, Shane does offer to help by hearing Ilya out, and he accepts. This is a huge contrast to how their relationship had been years before, as they are now comfortable enough to seek comfort in each other. It turns out that Ilya’s sick father had finally passed away. He gets into an altercation with his brother during his father’s funeral, with Svetlana being the one to calm him down and calm his anger. Ilya has finally had enough of his family, and tells his brother to never come looking for him for money again. It is a liberating moment to see Ilya finally get away from such a toxic person.
Ilya and Shane end up calling again, leading to an iconic scene in which Shane asks Ilya to express his emotions in Russian. In an emotional speech he vents his frustrations about not being the one to take care of his father, his brother’s never-ending hatred for him, and the pain in knowing that due to his queerness his country and everyone in it would hate him, too. Despite this, his next words are his confession of love to Shane that states. “I love her, but not like how I love you. That is the worst part of all of this. All I want is you. It is always you.”
During the next game Shane and Ilya play against each other, and it is clear more than ever that their dynamic bleeds onto the ice. Unfortunately, Ilya’s presence distracts Shane enough to get into a collision with another player, leaving him hospitalized. Ilya’s extremely concerned and visits, where Shane asks him to come to his cottage over the summer, essentially extending a hand. Ilya usually visits Russia, but of course, now that is littered with bitter feelings more than ever. Despite this, Ilya declines his invitation, at least, for now.
The highlight of the episode occurs during the 2017 Stanley Cup, when the New York Admirals win. Scott Hunter, a player we have not focused on since the switch in perspective of Episode three, is the captain of the team and holds the cup up into the air. It is bittersweet for a second, as all his other teammates have someone to celebrate with them on the ice. In a monumental moment, he looks towards his boyfriend–Kip–in the crowd and tells him to come down. They kiss, on live television, with both Ilya and Shane watching from home. The courage displayed by Scott is what pushes Ilya to accept Shane’s offer, meaning that they will be spending a lot of time alone together.
Episode five was overwhelming, but not in a negative way. It had many different components, all of which accumulated perfectly at the end, with Scott making MLH history as the first out gay man in the league. Both Shane and Ilya had important story beats connecting to each other. Shane, confronts his sexuality and comes out to two people, and Ilya, confronts and mourns his family while also expressing his feelings for Shane, even if it was in a language he could not understand. Compared to the rookies being attracted to each other in the locker room showers in 2008, it is emotional to see how their relationship functions at this point in the story.
They truly understand and trust each other, and because they are so intertwined in each other’s lives, it is hard to think about one without acknowledging the other. The impact of the episode is not to be understated, as it is the highest-rated and highest rewatched of the show.
Episode six entirely takes a step back from the hockey world, and covers Ilya’s stay with Shane at his cottage. Here, they fully act as a couple, even reaching the milestone of exchanging “I love you’s” after a particularly passionate moment. Shane discusses with Ilya about how they could change the public’s perception of them, so they would not have to act so distant anymore. What he comes up with is them starting a hockey school and contributing to mental health organizations, something that means a lot to Ilya due to his mother dying by suicide when he was young. Their season away from civilization comes to an abrupt pause when Shane’s father walks in on them making out, under the impression that Shane was off on some retreat and that the house would be empty, certainly not expecting his son and his main rival to be kissing. He quickly drives off, and Shane panics–badly. Just earlier in the episode he had expressed to Ilya his fear of coming out to his parents, so now that he does not have a choice in the matter, it feels like the end of the world.
Shane and Ilya end up sitting down with Shane’s parents and explaining the situation, including some of their complicated history. Contrary to Shane’s fears, they are accepting. Ilya casually calls Shane his boyfriend, finally officially establishing where their relationship stands. The first season of Heated Rivalry ends with our beloved couple driving back to the cottage.
Although the show has garnered a large following online, it also has its fair share of skeptics. Homophobic rhetoric that diminishes the show to only its sexual elements and scenes has impacted the way it is seen by those who have not given it a shot. But, after watching, it is safe to say that the story following these two closeted hockey players’ relationship over the course of nearly ten years, means way more than that. Not to mention Kip and Scott’s contribution to the queer representation in the show, which provides another dynamic that is needed in a series that emphasizes how taboo gay relationships and identities are in the professional hockey world. Heated Rivalry makes full use of its six episode run and feels like a fully fleshed show despite the small budget and lack of big names involved in the creation of the project. Due to its success, its second season is projected to air in the spring of next year, adapting the second book in Shane and Ilya’s story, The Long Game, leaving both book readers and show-only fans waiting to see where the story goes next.
Iyonna Jones • Feb 25, 2026 at 12:17 pm
I love your article! It makes me wanna watch Heated Rivalry for a second time.