By KAYLYNN BETANCOURT

“Heated Rivalry” is a Canadian romantic drama based on Rachel Reid’s book of the same name, written and directed by Jacob Tiereny. In the Crave’s new original television series, we follow the story of Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rosanov’s (Connor Storrie) romance. The show explores the story of the two closeted players who come to develop a secret relationship through the course of their careers: captain of the Montreal Metros, Shane Hollander and captain of the Boston Raiders, Ilya Rosanov.

The show has taken the hearts of audiences and become an overnight sensation, ranked consistently at number one on HBO Max. The plot follows through 10 years, from first meeting in 2008 to the last episode placed in 2018. 

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov as seen on the poster cover of the show (Photo courtesy of HBO Max).

The story explores the intense competition, hidden relationship, and struggle of balancing personal love with professional expectations. Their public rivalry is seemingly the perfect coverup for their forbidden romance. Hollander and Rosanov struggle to navigate their feelings and the expectations that the hockey world puts on them. The sports world has always been a heavily masculine and homophobic space, pressure is constantly put on athletes to be manly and not show emotion or you are seen as weak. For many years the idea of a hockey player being gay was a joke to many of the players, who constantly throw the term around as an insult. Many fans have resonated with this, seeing themselves as out of place or different. Through this show they see that you can be queer in spaces like this. 

Shane and Ilya try to keep their relationship undisclosed but the pressure and emotional toll begin to affect their performance on the ice. Eventually, they are faced with the choice of hiding and risking their careers, or embracing their identities and facing the subsequent consequences. The story follows their highs and lows, moments of conflict and love, as they attempt to find out if they can make their relationship work in such a judgemental and cutthroat environment. Their journey is one of acceptance, self-discovery, and bravery of defying expectations.

Since the show’s release fans have been raving about the show’s characters and how they see themselves in the characters. The series has opened up discussion of being a gay man in hyper-masculine spaces. “Heated Rivalry” has had a huge impact on the queer community due to the way mainstream audiences are consuming it, with even fan edits appearing on television. The show becoming mainstream media is so important as it opens so many eyes to struggles and difficulties that the queer community is constantly facing. Having queer voices come out in the media furthers representation to other sides of media, expanding the voices of those who were not heard before. 

The show’s intensity in the emotional plotline has connected viewers with characters, which has furthered discussion with the stigma that surrounds queer couples in real life. Ultimately, this all opens up a space for queer voices that wasn’t present before. 

The setting of “Heated Rivalry” shows to be a powerful choice. In public, the hockey players Hollander and Rosanov are hyper-masculine, driven, and aggressive. In private however the two players struggle with vulnerability in being in a gay relationship in a sport that openly rejects them. The drastic contrast between Hollander and Rosanov’s public rivalry and their private romance contradicts the idea that queerness and masculinity are not compatible. 

The show portrays Hollander and Rosanov’s relationship as an integral part of the characters, rather than a weakness. Such portrayal of the complex identities reminds the viewers that these complexities are what make people human; they are not weaknesses. 

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov’s romance. Photo courtesy of HBO Max/Crave

“Heated Rivalry” has been able to turn the spotlight onto adult queer relationships without shifting the narrative into a tragic coming out story. The characters have lives outside of their queer identities, and although it is a vital part of their growth, it does not encompass their entire being. The show has offered an authentic depiction of modern-day romance that has captivated all audiences. Contrary to other shows, Hollander and Rosanov’s relationship is not watered down in effort to make the show more palatable for viewers. Depictions of deep, meaningful representation hit the same marks as any mainstream romantic drama, which is exactly what queer audiences deserve. 

During episode 3 of the show we follow the story of Scott and Kip, a professional hockey player for the New York Admirals and a smoothie bartender respectively. The two meet and instantly hit it off with Scott inviting Kip over after just a few days knowing him.

 Kip is a character who is not closeted and lets his queer identity be known, Scott however is more complex. Being in the spotlight as a professional hockey player, Scott is still closeted. This comes to head when the New York Admirals win the cup during episode 5, after Scott celebrates with his teammates he begins to look for someone in the crowd. That someone being Kip, Scott calls him down to the ice, in front of cameras and a live audience, Scott then kisses Kip.

 This is impactful to not only Hollander and Rosanov, but also the audience and viewers in real life. A real-life hockey player, Jesse Kortuem, came out, revealing publicly that he was gay. Kortuem spoke about how “Heated Rivalry” made him realize that visibility matters, and that it allowed him to be a voice to fight for hockey and inclusion existing in the same space. The show has brought attention to love that has been forced to remain in the shadows, and has inspired many throughout the world to embrace themselves. Representation in media matters so deeply and “Heated Rivalry” is a perfect example of such representation.