Based on its popularity, anyone who has watched Heated Rivalry has probably raved about it to someone else. The smutty, gay hockey show topped HBO’s streaming charts within a week of its release, and its influence has spread like wildfire. Leads Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie became instant stars, but they aren’t the only ones. Real-life hockey players in the NHL have seen an increased attendance at their games since the Crave original aired. Now, Heated Rivalry has gotten so big that even the NHL’s head honcho is sharing his thoughts on the hockey romance.
In an interview with The Hockey News, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated the professional hockey league is well aware of Heated Rivalry, and how could they not be? NHL ticket sales have been spiking in the months since the show’s premiere, with a notable increase from this time last year. Seat Geek (via CBS News) attributes this new influx of fans directly to the Heated Rivalry’s success. Bettman voiced his thoughts as to why he thinks the show has made such an impact:
It's a wonderful story. The content - particularly for young people - may be a little spicy, so you have to balance that out with how you embrace it. I thought the storyline was very compelling. And a lot of fun, because I could see where they were picking at things we (as a league) had done in the past, whether or not it was being in Sochi or the All-Star Game in Tampa. It was very well done.
Some of the spicier content in the show has been debated (and later settled) on its accuracy, but I think the show did a great job at mimicking the ins and outs of a professional hockey league. Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid is a lifelong NHL fan, per the short bio on her Game Changers books, and based her setting off the legit league. Showrunner Jacob Tierney’s adaptation of that environment did not disappoint. These comments from Bettman seem to be an official stamp of approval on that front.
While I’m sure the commissioner’s initial interest in the series was from a hockey standpoint, it would seem he enjoyed the romance storyline as well, admitting he binged all six episodes in one night.
It’s more than a one-night watch for many, though, since fans can’t get enough. Crave Canada reported that the average episode was rewatched by a third of its viewers, with the highly-celebrated Episode 5 being the most rewatched, via an HBO subscription.
What happens when the fans crave even more? It seems they turn to the real thing, and NHL teams have been taking it in stride. The Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, played the Heated Rivalry trailer at their Pride Night, according to Sports Illustrated. TD Garden, home of the Boston Bruins, just announced a special game time concessions meal, inspired by Episode 4, complete with Shane Hollander’s choice beverage, a Canada Dry ginger ale:
The NHL is not the only sports organization to capitalize on the Heated Rivalry craze. The series transcended international borders when stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie carried the Olympic torches through the streets of Italy for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games. I’d bet money that the potential Canada/U.S.A face-off could be the most watched Olympic event this year (depending on how far each team advances in the tournament).
Seriously, I can’t wait until the recently-confirmed Season 2 drops, hopefully sometime on the 2026 TV schedule.
