The media, with the ability to reach millions, is one of the most powerful agents of social change. HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, a fictional story following the rivalry and secret romance of professional hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, has garnered over nine million viewers. While the show centers on and celebrates a queer relationship, the National Hockey League (NHL) has a long-standing heteronormative culture.
The show is based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers, a series of interconnected novels, centering around queer professional hockey players and their love stories. Reid wrote the series because she understood how hard it must be to come out as an NHL player, given the stigma and toxicity surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community.
In 2013, the NHL partnered with “You Can Play,” an organization committed to promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in athletics, in an attempt to support the community. Since then, there has been plenty of backlash. With the “You Can Play” partnership, the NHL started hosting “Pride Nights.” As a part of these nights, players would wear pride-themed warm-up jerseys. However, many players refused to wear them, claiming they conflicted with their beliefs.
Matt Kenny, an openly gay former minor league player, commented on Pride Nights’ impact, saying, “Being able to see a Pride Night makes you feel recognized. But more than that, it makes you know you’re safe. And that’s just not a player thing, that’s a fan thing. There are fans who don’t feel safe. All you have to do is read social (media) posts or comments; there are a lot of people out there who have hate in their hearts.”
In 2023, the NHL banned all promotional jerseys, though it was clear the ban was specifically because of pride jersey contention. This ban also included the rainbow tape that some players chose to use on Pride Night. While playing for the Arizona Coyotes, defenseman Travis Dermott used rainbow tape one night in protest of the ban, and was scratched the next day due to “illness.”
With the constant contention surrounding LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the NHL, Heated Rivalry came as a welcome reprieve for many, but begged the question: how would the league and players react?
Multiple teams have used the unprecedented attention of Heated Rivalry to draw new fans to their organizations. Rozanov and Hollander play for the fictional equivalents of the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, and the two teams have leveraged that attention, using the show in promotional content. The Ottawa Senators even created jerseys with “Rozanov” and “Hollander” on the back, and the jerseys sold out in minutes.
NHL players and personnel have also spoken out about the show. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman recently revealed that he binged the show in one night and said he believes the show is one of the things bringing more people to the game. Bruins alternate captain Charlie McAvoy was asked about the show and the message they want to spread, and although he said he has yet to watch it, he said, “It’s awesome for hockey; it’s awesome just for everybody.” In a post-game interview after the Bruins’ “Hockey is for Everyone” game, McAvoy responded that he hoped people in the LGBTQIA+ community felt the Bruins’ support and that, although there is still a lot more to do, there has been a lot of improvement since his rookie season in 2017.
While Heated Rivalry brought an unprecedented amount of attention to hockey, the NHL has had long-standing issues of LGBTQIA+ exclusion. The conversation that the show brought was a huge step towards normalizing players within the community, but there is still a long way to go.