friendly reminder that harrison browne is in tonight\u2019s episode (the first out transgender hockey player)\ud83e\udd73\ud83e\udd73<\/p>\n
representation matters!! pic.twitter.com\/xCr5qBVRMT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ev\u2728 (@hollanovloon) December 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Little by little, the show has entered mainstream hockey culture. It raises questions and criticisms about the sport\u2019s failures when it comes to the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. But could the rising popularity of \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d lead to a change in male hockey culture? It has at least opened the door for conversations to be had.<\/p>\n Montrealer Jacob Tierney, a writer and director known for his work on the popular Canadian program \u201cLetterkenny\u201d and its spinoff series \u201cShoresy,\u201d adapted the first two books for the television series. There\u2019s limited hockey action in the show, which focuses more on the relationship, banter and love-making between its main characters.<\/p>\n \u201cThis show is for the girls, the gays and theys,\u201d former pro hockey goalie and LGBTQ+ advocate Brock McGillis said.<\/p>\n \n Connor Storrie (left) and Hudson Williams (right) play two hockey players in \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d who develop a secret romance while fostering a public rivalry throughout their careers. (Harold Feng \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d is now Crave\u2019s most successful original debut series of all time<\/a>, and it has already been renewed for a second season. Fans clamored for Emmy consideration, but the program is ineligible because it is fully financed in Canada. (Crave is owned by Canadian telecommunications conglomerate Bell Canada.) Two of the series\u2019 episodes are ranked among IMDb\u2019s highest-rated television episodes of all time, surpassing installments from shows such as \u201cGame of Thrones,\u201d \u201cBetter Call Saul\u201d and \u201cThe Mandalorian,\u201d among others. Mega pop star Miley Cyrus wants to make music for the show\u2019s next season<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although current NHL players have been quiet about the show, the Boston Bruins referenced the show in a social media post during a game against the Montreal Canadiens \u2014 the main characters play for fictional Boston- and Montreal-based teams in the show. The Canadiens played a trailer for the show during the intermission of their Pride Night game in early December.<\/p>\n Heated rivalry \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/8898dRoI47<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Fans are wearing shirts referencing the show at NHL games<\/a>. And in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter published late last month<\/a>, an NHL representative called the show \u201cthe most unique driver for creating new fans.\u201d<\/p>\n Actor Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, a veteran hockey player at the end of his career who pursues a relationship with a male barista, was interviewed by RDS<\/a> during an intermission of the Canadiens Pride Night game.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you asked me what the demographic was going to be for this show, I wasn\u2019t even sure,\u201d said Arnaud, who spoke to Variety on the red carpet of this year\u2019s Critics Choice Awards<\/a>. \u201cI was like, definitely people like women who love the books. Maybe LGBT people. But the fact that hockey players are watching the show? The fact that the failing NHL is using us to bring people in?<\/p>\n \u201cI just hope that it brings on actual change in the league and that it has a real influence on how they treat their own players and the possibility of that. Because it\u2019s not, historically, the most open association.\u201d<\/p>\n Fran\u00e7ois Arnaud of #HeatedRivalry<\/a> talks about how hockey players are watching the show and jokes, “the fact that the ‘failing’ NHL is using us to bring people in.” #CriticsChoice<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ccewQuA93J<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Variety (@Variety) January 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Despite the limited on-ice hockey scenes, the sport is clearly the show\u2019s backdrop. It showcases dressing room dynamics among players, the pressures of being a professional hockey player, and elements of their high-profile lifestyles, all as multiple characters navigate same-sex relationships and the sport\u2019s complicated history with their acceptance \u2014 mirroring elements of real life.<\/p>\n The NHL banned Pride Night jerseys and rainbow-colored tape in October 2023<\/a>, months after some players opted out of their team\u2019s Pride Night festivities. After then-Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott defied the ban<\/a> by covering his stick in rainbow tape during a game, the NHL reversed its tape ban<\/a>. But special jerseys still can\u2019t be worn in commemoration of specialty nights, including Pride Night.<\/p>\n There have never been any openly gay players in the NHL. Bakersfield Condors defenseman Luke Prokop, who came out as gay in July 2021, was under contract with the NHL\u2019s Nashville Predators until 2024-25.<\/p>\n The Edmonton native said his experiences with every pro hockey team he\u2019s played with have been \u201cpositive,\u201d with teams being \u201caccommodating\u201d and \u201cwelcoming\u201d at every turn. But Prokop is mindful of when to use his platform and status to call out homophobia, while hoping players and teams can see him for the hockey player he is without ruffling \u201ctoo many feathers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to make sure I\u2019m doing everything in my power to make sure that I get, hopefully, an opportunity to get in the NHL one day,\u201d Prokop said. \u201cWith hockey and the LGBTQ community, it\u2019s tricky. You don\u2019t want to do too much to draw attention to it, where some teams might say, \u2018Oh, we view that as a distraction. So, we don\u2019t want them on our team.\u2019 There\u2019s been instances where that\u2019s come up.\u201d<\/p>\n What doesn\u2019t help players such as Prokop is hockey\u2019s conservative nature, which restricts individuality in the name of conformity. McGillis regularly speaks to high school students across Canada about how to make hockey environments more inclusive spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can\u2019t even share things about themselves that they like or don\u2019t like without fear of being completely ripped apart and chirped by their teammates,\u201d McGillis said. \u201cSo, if the straight, White bro who is assumed to make up 90 to 95 percent of the demo has to adhere to these extreme norms, what hope is there for a queer person?\u201d<\/p>\n Ironically, the sport\u2019s culture of sameness could help NHL teams when it comes to accommodating openly gay teammates if it ever happens, said McGillis.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the insularity of the culture leads to this notion of family, more so than probably ever for any other sport,\u201d McGillis said. \u201cAnd that family aspect is: You\u2019re going to fight for your family. And once somebody is embedded in that family, they\u2019re not going to be pushed out.\u201d<\/p>\n The crossover moment we all needed \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid and comedian and podcast host Liz Duff joined us in Halifax! pic.twitter.com\/sfgqh2bQo9<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) December 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s not as if players in the NHL have never expressed support before for LGBTQ+ issues, or for people in the sport.<\/p>\n NHL player agent Bayne Pettinger came out in 2020<\/a> and was immediately greeted by warm texts of support from two NHL superstars: Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. McDavid said it was \u201cdisappointing\u201d to see the NHL ban Pride Night-themed jerseys and tape and had no problem donning a jersey or rocking Pride tape on his stick blade<\/a>. Organizations such as \u201cYou Can Play,\u201d co-founded by former NHL executive Brian Burke following the death of his son, Brendan, who came out as gay, have also worked to end homophobia in sports.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2248297223-scaled.jpg\")
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