{"id":601268,"date":"2026-06-18T03:33:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T03:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/601268\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T03:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T03:33:26","slug":"nhl-and-pwhl-on-heated-rivalry-and-off-campus-drawing-new-hockey-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/601268\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL and PWHL on Heated Rivalry and Off Campus Drawing New Hockey Fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tHockey<\/a>, well, hockey romance, is booming.<\/p>\n

\n\tCanadian streamer Crave\u2019s breakout hit Heated Rivalry<\/a> \u2014 one of the most talked about shows of the last year \u2014 became a pop culture phenomena. The queer hockey romance drama<\/a> not only took social media by storm in late 2025, it made certified stars out of its at-the-time unknown leading actors, Hudson Williams<\/a> and Connor Storrie<\/a> and the source material, a string of novels by Rachel Reid, bestsellers years after release. The Jacob Tierney-created show<\/a> became appointment television, a rarity in the streaming age.<\/p>\n

\n\tRomance readers were likely not surprised \u2014 this thought-to-be niche sub-genre is actually a booming sector of the genre. Many months after it broke out, Heated Rivalry is adding to the bottom line of its parent company, as News Corp CEO Robert Thomson told analysts on May 7, \u201cWe continue to see feverish interest in Rachel Reid\u2019s Heated Rivalry in print and digital, and even in countries in which ice hockey is not a mainstream sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, Off Campus<\/a>, the latest hockey-centric show to hit streaming, has also become a hit for Prime Video<\/a> in the month since its release. The show, based on Elle Kennedy\u2019s book series<\/a>, had been in development for years, and much like Reid\u2019s novels, had a loyal fanbase pre-show. It quickly became the streamer\u2019s third biggest debut ever.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe rise of hockey romance has given the sport something that the likes football and basketball have long had \u2014 a real pop culture moment. That\u2019s not to say hockey\u2019s never been in pop culture \u2014 The Mighty Ducks, of course, cannot be ignored. But Heated Rivalry\u2019s release came at the perfect moment for the sport of hockey, and Off Campus went on to cement its place. Now the question is how the National Hockey League, and the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League, plan to capitalize on the moment. NHL<\/a> execs, however, should take note that Heated Rivalry will be much less kind to its fictional league in season two. But more on that later.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHudson Williams as Shane Hollander (left) and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov in episode five of \u2018Heated Rivalry.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSabrina Lantos\/HBO Max<\/p>\n

\n\tSocial media, particularly TikTok, had already started homing in on professional hockey players in both the NHL and the PWHL<\/a> when Heated Rivalry premiered. There was, and are even more so now, a slew of fandom style TikTok edits the NHL\u2019s young talents \u2014 San Jose Sharks players Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith each boast considerable fanbases of young women on social media \u2014 making the words \u201cboy aquarium\u201d nearly unavoidable on the app. The Olympics were on the horizon and would be fruitful for the U.S. men\u2019s and women\u2019s hockey teams, as they both took home gold.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSometimes the stars just need to align,\u201d NHL chief communications officer and senior EVP Jon Weinstein tells The Hollywood Reporter on a recent Zoom. \u201cRight now, the stars are aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe executive speaks from Raleigh, North Carolina, in town for the 2026 Stanley Cups Finals between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights. The Hurricanes would go on to win the series 4-2 in game six this past Sunday.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor those working in hockey, there\u2019s never been a doubt that it would breakthrough; it was always about finding the right vehicle. \u201cWe know hockey has the ability to transcend its traditional audience and attract people. It just takes storytelling and personalities and the connection to culture in order to do that,\u201d a representative for the PWHL tells THR.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGrace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise, members of the PWHL\u2019s Minnesota Frost, celebrate following the Women\u2019s Gold Medal match.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBruce Bennett\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThese shows are really helping make the sport feel more familiar and accessible and giving people permission to engage with hockey even if they don\u2019t know every rule or have decades of history with the game,\u201d add the rep. <\/p>\n

\n\tFor some fans, the PWHL felt like an easier entry point new to the sport. Unlike the NHL, the women\u2019s professional league is only three seasons old and still expanding. The league has added teams in Detroit, Hamilton, Las Vegas and San Jose ahead of the upcoming 2026-2027 season. New fans can get up to speed on all things PWHL through a YouTube series<\/a> dubbed \u201cPWHL 101\u201d to get new fans up to speed. The PHWL has seen immense growth recently, but it\u2019s hard to pin that down to a television show given its nascent phase.<\/p>\n

\n\tWomen\u2019s sports viewing has been on the rise, and the 2026 Olympics women\u2019s hockey gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada set a viewership record to become the most-watched women\u2019s hockey game ever, according to Nielsen. It averaged 5.3 million viewers across USA Network and Peacock, peaking at 7.7 million viewers during the game\u2019s final minutes. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe NHL has several things it points to for its own recent growth \u2014 the 2026 Olympics and its Four Nations Face-Off. The league touts record attendance and ratings in the U.S. Game six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals, where the Hurricanes claimed victory, drew 5.9 million viewers<\/a>. It was the most viewers for any game six since 2019. <\/p>\n

\n\tTNT Sports noted that its viewing among women, who make up a large part of both Heated Rivalry\u2019s and Off Campus\u2019 fanbases, grew 63 percent year to year for its NHL playoff games. The league seems confident that new fans are coming from these avenues. \u201cHeated Rivalry brought a new fan base to hockey,\u201d NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer says.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tJaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes holds the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBruce Bennett\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tThe NHL says they\u2019re aiming to get people to the rink because once they\u2019re there, the league feels confident they\u2019ll \u201chook them\u201d and create new loyal fans. \u201cYou never know what it will take to get somebody to actually come and watch, and Heated Rivalry, no question, got a lot of people talking. [It] got a lot of people curious about hockey,\u201d Mayer continues. \u201cWe truly believe that once they saw how great the game was that they stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s no misunderstanding at either of the leagues, however. Heated Rivalry started this wave on television due largely to the show, not just the sport. \u201cSo much has to do with the quality of the show, and Heated Rivalry is an amazing show. It\u2019s so well done,\u201d says Mayer. <\/p>\n

\n\tHeated Rivalry\u2019s popularity started to bleed into other facets of hockey culture early into its run. Hockey podcasters, of which there are plenty, began taking notice, but none before What Chaos! hosts Pete Blackburn and DJ Bean, along with their producer Shawn DePaz, took an early interest.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tDePaz (left, producer) and Bean (top right, host) and Blackburn (right, host) from the What Chaos! podcast.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of What Chaos! Podcast<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think I just caught it on my algorithm,\u201d Bean says. This was before the Canadian series even had its international distribution in HBO, and it was set just to air on Bell Media\u2019s streamer Crave. They started a mantra on their show \u2014 just get them to November 28, Heated Rivalry\u2019s premiere date. <\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s to be noted that Tierney himself has appeared on the podcast more than once, which should be a good indication of how they\u2019re approaching the show. Naturally, this engagement brought new fans to the Bostonians\u2019 show. \u201cForget whatever it\u2019s done for our audience. We love that it\u2019s improved the hockey scene,\u201d says Bean. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt so quickly escaped containment and became something that everyone was watching and everyone was talking about. It had an extreme gravitational pull,\u201d Blackburn adds. \u201cThe show itself was one of the best shows that we\u2019ve seen, and it felt like it just fully had a choke hold on the entire world for a month and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHeated Rivalry\u2019s popularity brought the world of hockey romance front and center. Much like Tierney, who learned about Reid\u2019s books through a Washington Post article on niche subgenre, the NHL first came to know about its popularity through books. In the world of romance novels, hockey romance is a booming business, propelled mainly by BookTok, a section of TikTok dedicated to book influencing. <\/p>\n

\n\tThese hockey romance books get adapted for the screen, as Heated Rivalry and Off Campus did, and that leads many productions to engage with the professional leagues during the development process. The NHL knew about Off Campus, which uses its team names the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers throughout the series. Heated Rivalry, however, opted to go another path.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tLogan (Antonio Cipriano), Garrett (Belmont Cameli), Dean (Stephen Thomas Kalyn), and Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks) in \u2018Off Campus.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLiane Hentscher\/Prime<\/p>\n

\n\tMayer says the team is now \u201creally close\u201d with Tierney, but noted that he and his producing partner Brendan Brady didn\u2019t approach the league before the show aired. \u201cThey wanted to make an authentic story to the book. Yes, there\u2019s NHL in the book, but they wanted to do their own thing. We respect that. We truly do,\u201d the executive says. In Heated Rivalry, the television show, the men\u2019s professional league was rebranded the MLH. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe executive says they know of another project coming from Netflix, seemingly pointing to the recently announced adaptation of Hannah Grace\u2019s viral novel Icebreaker. \u201cEverybody\u2019s trying to get into the hockey space,\u201d says Mayer. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be many more. I\u2019m telling you, we\u2019re getting pitched left and right.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tThe NHL knows that they\u2019re witnessing a phenomenon unfold in front of their eyes, and they\u2019re welcoming it. \u201cHeated Rivalry started the wave, and the waves just keep going. Off Campus is incredible as well,\u201d says Mayer. He believes this shows that the momentum is there. <\/p>\n

\n\tBut as new fans pour in, the spotlight moves away from how to get fans in and the reality of keeping those fans, particularly queer fans. In 2023, the NHL banned the use of pride tape, along with pride jerseys and other speciality jerseys worn during games and warmup. The league later reversed the pride tape decision.<\/p>\n

\n\tWeinstein pushes back when asked about how the league plans to keep these fans that are coming from a queer series given the league\u2019s history, asserting the \u201cperception and reality don\u2019t match\u201d on the topic. <\/p>\n

\n\tFans of Reid\u2019s books know that season two could pose a tricky position for the NHL, who is ready to go \u201call in\u201d on the new season. In The Long Game, Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie) have finally leapt from situationship to relationship, and the book\u2019s main tension shifts to the emotional tole of hiding a serious relationship and the fictional league\u2019s poor response to their relationship once they are out. <\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tStorrie (left) as Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov and Williams (right) as Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander in \u2018Heated Rivalry.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO Max\/Bell Media<\/p>\n

\n\tReid, for all intents and purposes, casts the fictional league\u2019s commissioner as the rightful big bad villain of Shane and Ilya\u2019s story. The NHL is aware of what\u2019s to come, and Weinstein remains unconcerned for the real NHL and its commissioner. \u201cThe book is about a fictional character,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want every person to feel like they belong in hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMayer does have a thought about that storyline. \u201cThere is one burning question that we all had,\u201d he says. \u201cWho will play the commissioner?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hockey, well, hockey romance, is booming. Canadian streamer Crave\u2019s breakout hit Heated Rivalry \u2014 one of the most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[34883,5,4,59857,1767],"class_list":["post-601268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-heated-rivalry","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-off-campus","tag-pwhl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116769010895892579","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}