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On Dec. 25, 2025, the Canadian queer hockey romance series “Heated Rivalry” aired the sixth and final episode of its debut season. Originally produced and distributed by Canadian streaming service Crave, the show was also distributed simultaneously by American streaming service HBO Max, bringing the show to American audiences and unexpectedly skyrocketing its popularity. In the month since the season finale aired, “Heated Rivalry” has only grown its audience and adoration. After watching the show three times, I can safely say that it deserves all the positive attention it has received.
For anyone who has not interacted with a queer person or a straight woman in the last two months, here is a quick rundown of the plot: “Heated Rivalry” follows Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and Russian player Ilya Rosanov, played by Connor Storrie. In a narrative spanning nine years, Shane and Ilya navigate their demanding hockey careers alongside growing romantic feelings for each other. Over the course of six episodes, their relationship grows from secretive hookups in hotel rooms to beautiful confessions of love.
Alongside Hollander and Rosanov’s narrative arc, the show briefly explores a relationship between a third hockey player, Scott Hunter, played by François Arnaud, and an aspiring art history student Kip Grady, played by Robbie Graham-Kuntz. The two develop a secret relationship that becomes public in a climactic kiss on the ice rink, an action that helps push Shane and Ilya to make their relationship official.
On the surface, “Heated Rivalry” seemed to be a steamy gay romantic drama, drawing audiences in — or away — primarily because of its graphic sex scenes. Once later episodes were released, however, and the show started to snowball in popularity, it became clear to me that the show had much more to offer its audience, which prompted me to watch and subsequently fall in love with it.
“Heated Rivalry” is a beautifully constructed show that excels in many different areas of television production. I was particularly drawn to the way the show is lit. Lighting is used masterfully to illustrate the progression of Shane and Ilya’s relationship, from dark hotel rooms lit by lamps indicative of the secretive nature of their relationship to bright, airy sunlight filtering through the large windows of Shane’s cottage representing the comfort and security they now feel with each other. This is thematically paired with the use of the song “I’ll Believe in Anything” by Wolf Parade during the climactic coming-out kiss between secondary couple Scott and Kip in episode five, in which the line “Give me your eyes/I need sunshine” is prominent.
The score and soundtrack of the show are skillfully crafted, with a balance of high-intensity electronic beats reminiscent of the score of “Challengers” and soft, pulsating tones used in moments of tenderness and emotion. Tracks are used efficiently and quickly became iconic, with “All the Things She Said” by t.A.T.u. and “My Moon, My Man” by Feist standing out alongside “I’ll Believe in Anything.”
When it comes to the story itself, showrunner Jacob Tierney masterfully navigates the six episodes he was given to adapt Rachel Reid’s two novels. As fast as the show is paced — we open in 2008 and end in 2017 — the moments that require exploration are given the time they need in order to be impactful. The show may skip forward two years in a montage set to Wet Leg’s “mangetout” in the second episode, only to come to a screeching halt to spend a long portion of the episode showing the night Ilya wins the MVP award.
Tierney writes Shane and Ilya, as well as my other personal favorite characters such as Svetlana, Rose and Scott, with such tenderness. The connections between the characters feel real and well-developed — it is not hard to see that the friendship between Svetlana and Ilya has grown over the years, and it is a connection that is both deep and important to them. Similarly, it is easy to become attached to Scott and Kip’s love story, even as it interjects into Shane and Ilya’s story two episodes in, giving us a third episode with no appearances from our main characters.
Of course, what really makes the show stand out are the performances by Williams and Storrie. Their chemistry is palpable from the first scene, where an eager rookie Shane introduces himself to the standoffish young Ilya. Sparks never cease to fly from there on out, and the expert camera work from Jackson Parrell enhances the way simple brushes of hands or words spoken quietly to each other can feel nearly as intimate and electric as the sex scenes themselves.
Beyond Shane and Ilya’s chemistry, the work Williams and Storrie put into crafting their characters and bringing them to life on screen is evident in their performances. Williams’ Shane is a beautifully understated depiction of a greatly talented autistic man struggling under the weight of his parents and the hockey world, while also navigating new feelings and keeping a secret big enough to ruin his career. I felt drawn in by his unique ability to hold tears in his eyes during tense moments, a perfect image of a man trying so hard not to crack under pressure.
Storrie’s Ilya is powerful and outwardly confident, with a soft side that is full of love and insecurity. I was, of course, deeply impressed by the Texan actor’s Russian accent and his ability to perform an emotional monologue entirely in Russian, in one of the most beautiful scenes in the show. The duality of Ilya was deeply compelling to watch on screen, and as fun as it was to see Ilya cocky and aloof, it was all the more satisfying to see him in love, feeling secure enough to be sweet and emotional with Shane.
“Heated Rivalry” took over the nation — and the world — in ways that no one could have predicted. Williams and Storrie have quickly skyrocketed to stardom, making appearances on talk shows, podcasts and even presenting an award at the Golden Globes on Jan. 11. They also recently served as torchbearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics torch relay in Italy.
“Heated Rivalry” seems to have provided fans with somewhat of a reprieve from the bleak state of the world. Fans delight in analyzing, speculating and simply gushing over Shane and Ilya’s relationship. The robust fandom has also produced a plethora of art, fanfiction and cosplays, alongside a trend of recreating iconic scenes using stuffed animals or household objects. In a world increasingly filled with doubt and uncertainty, “Heated Rivalry” has given us all a break — in the form of an invitation to the cottage.
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