WASHINGTON \u2014 We know the hit TV show \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d has created new hockey fans. The show has also captured a particularly high-profile one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve watched all six episodes. I binged it in one night,\u201d NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters at Capital One Arena on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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 (Olympics) in Sochi or the All-Star Game in Tampa. It was very well done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show, which revolves around the romance between two closeted professional hockey stars, is available on HBO Max in the United States and Crave in Canada. Released in November, it\u2019s become a runaway hit for both streaming services and a legitimate cultural sensation.<\/p>\n
Part of the dialogue surrounding that, naturally, is whether the NHL will capitalize on the popularity and embrace newly minted fans of the sport \u2014 specifically women and the LGBTQ+ community, two groups of people who haven\u2019t historically been served well by hockey culture.<\/p>\n
Bettman on Thursday said the league had already \u201cmeaningfully embraced\u201d the LGBTQ+ community, pointing to team-held Pride Nights and the league\u2019s work with You Can Play<\/a>, a group that promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports. As for the show?<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a wonderful story,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cThe content, particularly for young people, might be a little spicy. And so you have to balance that out in terms of how you embrace (the show).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of things about the game that we think are driving more and more people to the game,\u201d he said, \u201cand I do believe \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 is one of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n