The National Hockey League (NHL) commissioner has weighed in on the viral gay TV show Heated Rivalry.
Since its two-episode premiere in November, the world has become absolutely enamoured with the gay hockey romance series.
Created by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s hit book of the same name, Heated Rivalry follows two elite professional hockey players, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), as they navigate their public rivalry on the ice and passionate, secret love affair behind closed doors.
“What begins as a secret fling between confused teenagers at 17 evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, as they chase glory on the ice, they struggle to navigate their feelings off it,” the official synopsis reads.
“Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there’s room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile – and powerful – as real love.”
Over the last few months, Heated Rivalry has become both a viral sensation and a critical darling, earning praise for its romantic story, Williams and Storrie’s undeniable chemistry on and off screen, and its bold, boundary-pushing sex scenes.
The beloved show has even caught the attention of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
On 15 January, the 73-year-old praised the series for its “wonderful story,” in a pre-game interview for the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals.
“We’re well aware of Heated Rivalry... I watched all six episodes. I binged it in one night,” he told reporters.
“I thought the storyline was very compelling and a lot of fun, because I could [see] where they were picking at things that we had in the past, whether it was [the Olympics] in Sochi or the All-Star Game in Tampa. It was very well done.”
When discussing Heated Rivalry’s growing influence in the hockey sphere and beyond, Bettman was asked if the NHL would publicly highlight the show in the future.
“In terms of embracing it, I think it’s a wonderful story. The content, particularly for young people, might be a little spicy. And so you have to balance that out in terms of how you embrace [it],” he continued.
“There are a lot of things about the game that we think are driving more and more people to the game, and I do believe Heated Rivalry is one of those things.”
As for whether the league will increase its efforts to welcome new LGBTQIA+ hockey fans, Bettman insisted that the NHL has always “meaningfully embraced” the community.
“I mean, every team does a Pride Night, and there are a whole host of other things we do, including our affiliation with You Can Play,” he explained.
Founded in 2012, the You Can Play partnership with the NHL is built on a shared commitment to making hockey safe, inclusive, and welcoming for all.”
Towards the end of his interview, Bettman addressed the NHL’s controversial policy that bars players from wearing Pride and other themed jerseys during warm-ups and games.
“It wasn’t about Pride jerseys or Pride night; it was about the fact of bringing things into the game that might not be embraced by the players wearing the jerseys,” he said.
“It could be heritage nights – don’t allow it – it could be political causes. It could be in times of conflict between countries, national origin. It was becoming a distraction, not just for the Pride jerseys, but for a variety of other things.
“It’s a misrepresentation of what we did to suggest that it was about Pride jerseys. It was about the whole issue of what you put on the ice and how, when players don’t embrace the cause, whatever it is, then you create a distraction, and it doesn’t fulfil the purpose in terms of embracing Pride nights.”
Bettman’s comments come a few weeks after former NHL player Sean Avery — who suited up for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, and Dallas Stars — told Rolling Stone that Heated Rivalry’s success “should open the door for the first gay NHL player, if there is one.”
He admitted that he doesn’t “know firsthand of any gay players past or present,“ though he speculated, “I must have had a gay, closeted teammate at some point in my career.”
“I love Heated Rivalry. It’s the worst hockey show ever made, but the most incredible gay hockey show ever made. Sometimes I look away from the TV, it’s pretty graphic,“ he added.
Heated Rivalry season one is now streaming on Crave in Canada, HBO Max in the US and Sky in the UK.
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