- 2 weeks ago
From fan fiction to breakout hit – join us as we explore how "Heated Rivalry" became TV's steamiest hockey drama! We're breaking down the real NHL inspirations, hockey culture accuracy, and controversies surrounding this enemies-to-lovers sensation. Discover the truth behind the show's origins and its portrayal of sexuality in professional sports.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're breaking down how a book series referred to as gay hockey smut
00:05became an international television sensation. I'm coming to the cottage. If you're just as hooked on
00:11hated rivalry as we are then this deep dive will set the record straight on chatter about the show's
00:16inspiration, portrayal of hockey and controversies. The True Story. Fans have been eating up the
00:23turbulent but steamy romances between Hollander and Rosanoff and Scott and Kip. Many would be
00:29surprised to learn that these plot lines do have some inkling of truth to them. You know that this
00:34is real. Rachel Reid, the author of the Game Changers book series the show is based on, clarified some
00:40interesting real world connections. I mean there were all these like flashy European players like
00:45Yarmar Jaeger, Timo Solane, you know Ovechkin later, Ilya Kovalchuk. So yeah all those players kind of
00:54just like an amalgam definitely inspired Ilya. According to Reid, the conflict between the
00:59two main characters was loosely based on Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby's heated rivalry in
01:04the NHL. Ovechkin and Crosby certainly never had an enemies to lovers romance but their feud created
01:10a spectacle much like what we see on Heated Rivalry. A rumor that the show was based on a fanfic between
01:24Captain America and the Winter Soldier was also shot down recently. Reid clarified that while it
01:29didn't originate as a Stucky story, Game Changers did take its first breath on AO3, a fanfiction
01:35website. Initially, the plot starred a real hockey captain and Bucky Barnes, so there is some accuracy
01:41to the gossip. While there are some clear inspirations, Heated Rivalry is a complete work of fiction.
01:47I kind of prefer being the whole rather than the peg. With that being said, there is a lot it gets right
01:53and wrong about the world it depicts and this has sparked some mixed reactions. I'm sorry sir,
01:59we'd really like to accommodate you but... Sir, I'm just a bellboy, you can't treat the staff like this, please?
02:05Oh, I think I know how the staff likes to be treated as many groups.
02:09Hockey culture. Heated Rivalry has received a ton of accolades, not just for spotlighting
02:14queer romance but for bringing hockey to a wider audience. As far as sports dramas go,
02:19hockey is often neglected. So long-time fans were thrilled to tune in and hockey novices were
02:25offered a taste for what the game is like. But how much is accurate? Naturally, the show's MLH
02:30stands in for NHL, the National Hockey League. It takes liberties regarding which cities have
02:35franchises, but it does properly depict a long-standing rivalry between Montreal and Boston.
02:40No two teams in NHL history have faced each other more times in the regular season than the Boston
02:45Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. These are two of the oldest teams in hockey, so they've had
02:50numerous heated face-offs for the Stanley Cup. Montreal has beaten them senseless in terms of
02:55the edge that they own in that particular rivalry, and Boston keeps thinking, we're gonna get them
03:00next time, and next time it's the same story. When we first meet Hollander and Rosanoff, they've just
03:05competed in a tournament to increase their draft odds, based on the real World Junior Ice Hockey
03:10Championships.
03:11Good luck in the tournament.
03:12You will not be so nice when we beat you.
03:15However, their stick-jockeying in Episode 5 would have gotten them both thrown off the ice.
03:23This sort of horseplay is forbidden during a face-off, though the showrunner surely added
03:27it in for the metaphorical sword-fighting, wink-wink. Apart from the technicalities, heated rivalry
03:33touches on a stark homophobia in hockey culture.
03:35The NHL is currently the only major league of any top sport to not have a current or
03:53former openly gay player.
03:56Last place is where it's a challenge, I think, to be openly gay.
04:00This speaks to the pressure to internalize for fear of backlash, communicated through
04:04all of our protagonists.
04:06Yeah, my life is complicated. Yeah, I get that. And I can't come out, like, not right now.
04:21Hollander cries to his girlfriend, admitting that he's unable to talk about his sexuality
04:25with anyone.
04:26Have you ever told anyone that before?
04:28Rosanoff makes it abundantly clear that coming out is not an option because it would even sacrifice
04:36his standing in his home country of Russia.
04:39Because your family?
04:40Because Russia! I would not be able to go back to Russia!
04:44What would happen to you?
04:47I don't want to find out.
04:50Scott Hunter, on the other hand, totally breaks that barrier down when he kisses Kip
04:54in front of millions after winning the cup.
05:02It's a tear-jerking scene, but a far cry from reality.
05:06Retired goaltender Brock McGillis became one of the first openly gay players in 2016,
05:11though he didn't play in the NHL.
05:13He's been outspoken about his love for the show, and how closely he relates to the world
05:17the characters inhabit, down to the hotel hookups and cell phone aliases.
05:21I dated a guy for three years without a soul knowing.
05:24He came and stayed with me in Montreal when I was at school, and I snuck him in through
05:30the fire exit.
05:31However, he's uncertain that the show will truly open doors for players to comfortably
05:36come out.
05:37What I don't think it'll do is break down the locker room culture that exists.
05:44Heated rivalry reflects a real-world problem where homosexuality is still taboo in the sport
05:49of hockey.
05:50For example, Pride-themed jerseys were banned from the NHL in 2023, even for Pride Night warm-ups.
05:56The idea that if you do want to support one of these causes on the ice, you would be fined
06:03for doing so does not sit well with me.
06:06Pride tape on sticks was banned too, though the league later walked that back.
06:10The NHL probably spent the weekend weighing their options about good PR, bad PR.
06:14If we punish him for using Pride-themed tape on his stick, how are we going to look?
06:19While the girls and the gays, who do make up a considerable percentage of hockey fans, are tuned in,
06:24it's questionable whether heated rivalry can permeate some of the more stubborn blocks of
06:28hockey fans and officials who can actually make a change.
06:31The NHL didn't respond to a request for comment, but has said many times in the past that it
06:36supports diversity and inclusion.
06:38Its players just won't be showing it on the ice.
06:41Heated rivalry also accurately portrays the intense strain athletes experience from so many ends.
06:47Rosanoff's father is incredibly hard on him, driving a turn in his character where he becomes cold
06:52and obsessed with winning.
07:04Hollander's mother plays the part of a stay-at-home coach, often prioritizing what's good for Hollander's
07:09brand over what's good for his sense of stability.
07:12Shane, are you listening to me?
07:14What?
07:15Yeah.
07:16Okay, so what did I just say?
07:17Sneakers, I heard.
07:19Okay, you have to be seen in your Reeboks.
07:21I know, Mom.
07:22Because you cannot be in anything else.
07:23Mom, I'm always wearing skates.
07:25This combination of public pressure, online scrutiny, family expectations and on-ice performance
07:31all collide to make managing personal relationships incredibly slippery.
07:35I don't know.
07:36I wish you were here right now.
07:38I would always hurt you.
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07:56Controversies.
07:58Heated rivalry is incredibly sex positive, depicting erotic encounters between the show's
08:03pairs in great detail.
08:05I can't believe you're even into me.
08:08I'm so into you.
08:10I'm so into you.
08:12But that doesn't mean everyone agrees with the way it depicts sex or gay romance.
08:17Some journalists have criticized how characters view queerness as legitimate only when it's
08:22declared to the world.
08:24We get together, we f***.
08:25We simple.
08:26Simple?
08:27We simple for me.
08:28Bullshit.
08:29If a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?
08:33And if two hockey players with public girlfriends sleep together in the private confines of a
08:38hotel room, are they really gay?
08:40There are hot women everywhere.
08:42There is a girl I like you really much.
08:46It's a good one, though.
08:49Alright.
08:50Heated rivalry does contend with this, pitting desire against identity.
08:54And it does ultimately resolve these plot points through open celebration.
08:58You have made me better in every conceivable way.
09:03I love you.
09:12Though another scathing critique came from I Love LA star Jordan Firstman, who stated
09:17that heated rivalry just isn't gay because it doesn't properly depict how gay people sleep
09:21together.
09:22Hey.
09:23How was breakfast?
09:29Hudson Williams and Francois Arnault clapped back in defense of their sex scenes, and Firstman
09:33eventually conceded.
09:34And now, back to this bitch that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press.
09:43Miley, what's good?
09:44Hey.
09:45We're all in this industry.
09:48We all do interviews, and we all know how they manipulate shit.
09:53Nikki, congratulations.
09:58A more serious allegation of queerbaiting has rocked the show as well, generating a lot
10:02of discussion about whether straight actors should be playing queer characters.
10:06It was nice.
10:07It was.
10:08It was.
10:13And it felt like we were something.
10:15When questioned about the lead actor's sexualities, creator Jacob Tierney shut it down, affirming
10:20that, quote, there's no reason to get into that stuff.
10:23Of course, this truly is nobody's business, but the flare up was only exacerbated by Connor's
10:27story and Hudson Williams perceived flirting during press junkets.
10:31Oh!
10:32Look at that.
10:33Look, that's that butt.
10:34That's that butt.
10:35I live in Los Angeles, baby.
10:36Come for this belt buckle with your teeth.
10:38We don't do friends.
10:39We do lust.
10:40Fans may have received flashbacks to Stiles and Derek from Teen Wolf, where the actors
10:45shamelessly played off of fans shipping their highly requested onscreen romance.
10:49We want to ask if you guys could vote for Teen Wolf for the Teen Choice Awards.
10:52For the choice summer show, right?
10:54Best choice summer show.
10:55Yeah.
10:56Can you please do it?
10:57Please.
10:58Because if you do, uh...
11:00We'll take all that needs to be said.
11:03However, the key difference is that this more blatant form of queerbaiting never came
11:07to fruition in the show, and merely teased eager fans with representation that didn't
11:12actually exist.
11:13Start of the car, or I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth.
11:22Heated rivalry has been incredibly progressive.
11:25Still, a demand to see queer people telling queer stories is undeniable.
11:29Though, it's impossible to gatekeep these roles from actors who simply haven't made public
11:33statements regarding their sexualities.
11:35Again, nobody's business.
11:37I believe in the idea of soulmates, not saying you're my one and only soulmate.
11:42Lastly, there have been some whispers about Hollander being portrayed as neurodivergent without
11:47any real confirmation in the show.
11:49In an interview, Rachel Reid stated quote,
11:51As the person who created him, that was definitely a part of his character.
11:55And it's something that as I continued writing him, became clearer as I myself learned more
12:00about autism.
12:01On Heated Rivalry, he comes off as focused, gets teased for being boring, and struggles
12:05to express himself.
12:06Thank you for the tuna melt.
12:10I'm sorry.
12:16I can't.
12:18Ultimately, it's a side to Hollander's character that may only surface for some.
12:22This looks serious.
12:24It's not.
12:25I mean, yeah, I guess.
12:28Can you just sit down or something?
12:31When it comes to all the hubbub, Reid put it best, saying quote,
12:34I didn't expect this book to be analyzed like The Great Gatsby when I wrote it.
12:38It's really just a hockey romance.
12:40So let's celebrate it as such.
12:41I love you.
12:45Holy shit.
12:46I mean, I love you too.
12:52What are you hoping to see happen in Season 2?
12:55Let us know in the comments.
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