Heated Rivalry Creator Says NHL Still Has Work to Do

Jacob Tierney is calling for the NHL to do better.

The Heated Rivalry creator spoke to Andy Cohen on Radio Andy’s Andy Cohen Live on October 13 and revealed he believes the NHL is not doing enough to support the female fans who gained interest in the league after the HBO show’s success.

“They’ve just hired four rapists to play for them,” Jacob told Andy. “The NHL is not meeting the moment.”

Jacob added that the league has “a lot of ongoing work to do,” before he can say that it is taking full advantage of the series—starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie—success.

“It is up to the NHL to actually convince anybody that this is a safe space for people,” Jacob noted. “Because every day they want to prove that it’s not. They are not doing what they should be doing to make their sport an inclusive place.”

“They really need to deal with their own toxic culture,” he continued. “And they’re not. Demonstrably, one team after another proving that.”

For now, Jacob is focused on bringing the heat for season 2—slated for a spring 2027 release date—which he revealed will stay true to Rachel Reid’s collection of books.

“My loyalty is still to these books and to this show that we started,” Jacob teased to Andy. “So, like, I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here, you know? Their second book, The Long Game, is a great book and it’s a great source to begin with. We’re bringing in some of the other books and some other characters, stuff that again intersects with Shane and Ilya’s story. They are the North Star of the show.”

Fans can rest assured that Shane and Ilya’s journey won’t stray far from their original story.

“That relationship is what we’re going to continue to explore and to watch develop and all that stuff,” he said. “And, you know, as I’ve said from the beginning, I remain a fan of these books. I’m not looking to shake them up or fix them or anything like that. But it’s basically what’s in the books.”

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