For fans of Rachel Reid’s “Game Changer” books, it is exciting that “Heated Rivalry,” the new series on HBO MAX about closeted gay hockey players, has become a phenomenon. Reid’s M/M romance novels are sweet, sexy, and feature plenty of hockey as the characters flirt, f–k, and shoot puck. But there is a real heart to these characters who want to live authentically in a world where they cannot. The star athletes in these stories have flaws, revealed over the course of the season, but each finds love — happy for now if not happy ever after.
Showrunner Jacob Tierney depicts the secret romance between two young hockey phenoms, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) over the course of several years. The sexual tension between these archrivals is often generated by just a look or a touch, and it is swoon-inducing.
The series opens with the earnest Shane trying to connect — or possibly size up — his biggest competition, the brusque Rozanov, as they are drafted as rookies by the MHL (Major Hockey League). It is a typical opposites attract/enemies-to-lovers set up, and it works because actors Williams and Storrie have a real spark. Watching them one-up each other on or off the ice is foreplay. Giggling as they pose for a commercial is amusing, but then one reveals that the pairing was orchestrated as a way of getting closer to the guy he desires.
It is the guys’ longing and separation that makes their love story resonate. There is a hesitancy by both athletes to act on their desires, much less talk about them. The danger of their secret romance being discovered creates a propulsive energy that makes it so addicting.
When Rozanov winks at Shane after sharing his water bottle at the gym, it is charming. And when he passionately kisses Shane on a rooftop in Las Vegas it is bold. Such moves are typical of his insouciant character, and why he is so sexy and desirable. Shane is smitten with Rozanov’s bravado.
Early on, Rozanov taunts Shane in a shower by staring at him and touching himself. It is hot and seductive; so is seeing Rozanov in a towel bantering flirtatiously in his Russian accent in a locker room. “Heated Rivalry” is chock-full of such teasing moments, which is why is it so delicious. Storrie gives a star-making performance with all his cocky confidence, and Williams is appealing as the shyer Shane.
The series gets playful, as an extended sequence has the guys sexting each other. Rozanov wants to f–k Shane, but given all the obstacles leading up to that — one of the show’s sexiest moments — viewers become as anxious and as hot and bothered as the characters. The sex scene is important because Rozanov repeatedly asks the less experienced Shane if he is OK with what he is doing. It shows his tenderness and care for his lover. And it is certainly indicative of their relationship that Rozanov exerts some control over Shane, who generally acquiesces. But as both guys fall hard for each other, they are afraid to admit the depth of their power dynamic.
This makes the distance that comes between them more palpable and more painful. It is typical of every romance story that the lovers fight and separate, and “Heated Rivalry” includes an episode where Shane and Rozanov have difficulty connecting because they are afraid to express their true feelings.
The series shrewdly counterbalances their romance with a stand-alone episode that shifts focus to Scott Hunter (François Arnaud), another closeted pro hockey player. He falls for Kip, a smoothie barista (Robbie G.K.), and their romance mirrors Shane and Rozanov’s in that it involves coded signals in public and discreet encounters after things get sealed with a kiss. But while Kip is besotted with Scott, who says he wants Kip “more than he has wanted anything in a long time,” Kip also doesn’t want to be kept a secret for the length and sake of Scott’s career. “Heated Rivalry” shows the emotional toll their “forbidden” relationship — and by extension, Shane and Rozanov’s — as Scott is not ready to come out, regardless of how much he loves Kip. And it is heartbreaking.
The show is also heartbreaking when it pivots back to Shane and Rozanov. While the guys get more intimate, they also grow distant when Shane claims, “I can’t do this,” referring to their relationship. It sends both guys into despair and jealousy as well as the realization that they love, care about, and need each other more than they want to admit. Moreover, as Shane starts acknowledging that he is gay, Rozanov, who is bi, is unable to announce that publicly because it would jeopardize his life back in Russia.
“Heated Rivalry” never makes this drama soapy, which is to Tierney and the show’s credit. The series provides a rollercoaster of emotion, especially as Shane and Rozanov grapple with an injury and a death in the family that keep them apart, but also draw them closer together.
While a scene featuring Scott and Kip provides the emotional highlight of the series — it delivery goosebumps — “Heated Rivalry” concludes on a softer note. As Shane and Rozanov spend time alone together, they work through their complicated feelings, talking honestly, and expressing their ideas about a possible future together.
It is easy to dismiss the show as just another coming out narrative — though it is — but it is how the characters process their emotions that makes “Heated Rivalry” so enthralling. Arnaud has some great speeches as Scott, but whenever a guy says “I love you” to his boyfriend, it is heartfelt and impassioned. Viewers who don’t have hockey pucks as hearts will melt.
“Heated Rivalry” | HBO MAX
