Abhiroop Das
Created by Jacob Tierney, HBO Max’s ‘Heated Rivalry’ tells the story of two hockey prodigies, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, who take the world of sports by storm with each game they play against each other. On ice, they are fierce rivals, constantly pushing each other to and beyond their respective limits. However, on the inside, the two begin to feel an inexplicable yearning for each other, and that soon translates to a passionate fling. From there, the story charts their respective emotional conflicts as two queer people, which punctuate their professional careers as well as their personal lives. To that end, this sports romance television series examines the intersections between sexuality and social expectations.
Heated Rivalry is Writer Rachel Reid’s Fictional Love Letter to Hockey
‘Heated Rivalry’ is a wholly fictional story originally penned by Rachel Reid for her eponymous novel, and later adapted to the screen by Jacob Tierney. In the FAQ section of her personal blog, Reid confirmed that all of her characters are invented in nature, and she put in a lot of effort and research into rendering them as authentic as possible. Her interest in using hockey as the backdrop to romance dramas sprang from her love for the sport, which she has nurtured since the eighties. Reportedly, she based most of her characters on the various archetypes of players that she has come across over the years. In particular, while writing the central dynamic of the book, she was foremost inspired by the real-life rivalry between legendary hockey players Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. However, while her two main characters share a similar rivalry as sportspersons, the romantic elements in their dynamic are a completely original addition by Reid.
Alongside hockey, Reid also put her passion for the enemies-to-lovers trope to use while creating the story. In her FAQ response, she expressed a general love for forbidden romance narratives, and it is likely that she recreated her own versions of the tropes and their familiar beats for the novel. Although Reid has confirmed that her tale is fictitious, it nonetheless serves as an outlet for her complicated feelings about the sport. In a conversation with CBC, she explained, “There are a lot of times that sport has broken my heart that had nothing to do with what was happening on the ice.” Thus, the book served as her way of addressing reports of sexism, racism, and homophobia within the field of professional hockey.
As of writing, the National Hockey League remains one of the only men’s sports leagues in North America that has no openly gay people who are actively competing in the league. Reportedly, in 2021, Luke Prokop became the first player with an NHL contract to openly come out as gay, but he has yet to compete in a regular competition as of 2025. Reid opened up about her concerns regarding this problematic facet, stating, “At the time that I wrote it (the novel), I thought, well, surely maybe even before this is published, there’ll be a player that comes out. But it still hasn’t happened many years later.” Thus, despite being a crafted narrative, ‘Heated Rivalry’ directly probes into real-life conversations about the complexities surrounding sexuality and its societal perception.
Two Real-Life Hockey Legends Might Have Influenced Shane and Ilya’s Playing Styles
As confirmed by Reid, both Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are fictional characters. However, it is possible that their approach to hockey, as well as their personalities on the ice, are loosely based on Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, respectively. Beyond their famous rivalry, Reid appears to have drawn inspiration from their playing styles as well. In particular, Shane Hollander’s calculated and precise maneuvers might have been derived from Sidney Crosby’s style, as he was renowned for similar tactics and methods. In the same vein, Ilya Rozanov’s power-based approach to the sport parallels Alex Ovechkin’s aggressive playing style, which may have served as a reference. The fact that Crosby and Ovechkin represented Canada and Russia, respectively, further strengthens their position as the potential antecedents for the two main players in the story. However, it is likely that the similarities end there, and Reid possibly used their hockey tactics to ground her characters.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who play the roles of Shane and Ilya, respectively, infused the characters with their own personal touches. Reportedly, Storrie had to learn complex Russian dialects in a short span of time to believably portray Ilya, who speaks a lot of Russian in the show. Moreover, the actors have spoken extensively about the various aspects of playing gay sportspersons in a conventionally hypermasculine environment. While talking about his on-screen chemistry with Hudson, particularly during intimate scenes, Storrie told Attitude, “Me and Hudson are best friends. Uh, we became really close really quick and it’s way easier to have sex on camera and fall in love with someone if you’re (friends).” In an interview with CMF, Hudson compared ‘Heated Rivalry’ to classics such as ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ before praising the unrestrained and celebratory approach to the characters’ love story in the show.
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