Heated Rivalry by Jacob Tierney (Season 1 Discussion)

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two fresh faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of yearning, denial, and self-discovery as they chase glory on the ice and wrestle with feelings off it. (Trailer)

It's the horny Canadian gay hockey drama that everyone's talking about (and can't stop talking about) so I guess we might as well too. We can discuss any aspect of the show at this meetup, including what's made this little Canadian production such a global cultural phenomenon (yes, even in places like Russia and China where LGBTQ content is technically banned.)

Originally released in Canada in November, then promptly snatched up by streaming services elsewhere, Heated Rivalry was the top rated show of 2025 and Episodes 5 and 6 are among the Top 10 highest rated TV episodes of all time.

PLEASE WATCH ALL OF SEASON 1 IN ADVANCE (around 5 hours of viewing in total) to participate in this discussion. I may only let people who have watched the show join this one. (As you may have gathered, the show contains a lot of graphic sexual content and talk so if you're easily scandalized you'll probably want to pass on this one. In case you're wondering though, the sexual content isn't simply gratuitous but a natural part of the story and the development of the characters.)

The show can be streamed on Crave in Canada, HBO Max in the US, and other streaming services elsewhere. It seems like it's also available on Amazon Prime if you have a membership but I’m not quite sure how that works. If you can't afford any of these services send me a message and I might be able to suggest other options.

Feel free to pre-discuss or gush in the comments (but no spoilers please!) 🏒🔥