‘MASS HYSTERIA OR CULTURAL MILESTONE?’ — Heated Rivalry has taken over TV, racked up 10.6 MILLION viewers, crashed book sales records… but does the explicit gay hockey romance ACTUALLY deserve the hype — or are we all just under a spell?
HIGHLIGHTS:
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‘Heated Rivalry’ — the Canadian gay hockey romance that HBO Max rescued from obscurity — has become a SLEEPER PHENOMENON, surpassing 10.6 million US viewers and becoming the streamer’s top scripted acquired series ever
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The show has triggered a BOOK BUYING FRENZY, with weekly print sales of the source novel skyrocketing 8,000% after the premiere, as HarperCollins credits the series for a record $633 million quarter
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BookTok is OBSESSED; women are flooding NHL games wearing shirts reading ‘I’m at the boy aquarium because of two gay guys on HBO Max’ — but critics argue the show is ‘mass psychosis’ and its sex scenes border on ‘gratuitous’
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Creator Jacob Tierney has bluntly confirmed the show’s target audience: ‘It’s wine moms. They love this stuff.’ Meanwhile, stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie have been forced to condemn toxic fans making racist and biphobic attacks online
Is it a masterpiece of queer storytelling? Or a collective fever dream we’ve all fallen into?
Welcome to the strange, sweaty, undeniably addictive world of ‘Heated Rivalry’ — the Canadian import that has somehow convinced millions of people that two closeted hockey players having graphic sex is the most compelling thing on television .
The series — which follows Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) of the Boston Raiders and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) of the Montreal Metros — premiered on Crave in Canada last November with little fanfare .
Then HBO Max picked it up. And the internet BROKE.
By the numbers: This isn’t a cult — it’s an army
The raw data is staggering.
‘Heated Rivalry’ has racked up 10.6 million US viewers to date, more than doubling its audience since the finale aired in December . It ranks as HBO Max’s most-watched scripted acquired series in history .
But the real explosion happened in bookstores.
Rachel Reid’s seven-year-old romance novel saw weekly print sales surge over 8,000% between November 30 and January 17 . The entire six-book ‘Game Changers’ series has sold an additional 206,000 copies since the show premiered .
HarperCollins — which holds the publishing rights — posted a record $633 million revenue quarter , with News Corp CEO Robert Thomson explicitly crediting the show’s success .
That’s not a fanbase. That’s an economic force.
‘I’m at the boy aquarium’
The show’s cultural footprint extends far beyond streaming metrics.
On Reddit, new fans are posting: ‘I’m here because of Heated Rivalry. Tell me where to start.’ . At NHL games, women are wearing t-shirts that read: ‘I’m at the boy aquarium because of two gay guys on HBO Max’ .
The league — which has long struggled with declining viewership and a macho, homophobic reputation — has seen a surprising influx of female and LGBTQ+ fans .
An NHL spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter: ‘In the NHL’s 108-year history, this might be the most unique driver for creating new fans.’ .
When told about this during an appearance on Seth Meyers, Williams joked: ‘It would be very disappointing because there’s so little gay sex when I watch hockey.’ .
‘It’s wine moms’
But for every swooning fan, there’s a skeptic asking: Is this actually GOOD, or are we all just caught in some kind of mass hysteria?
Director Jacob Tierney — who created the series — has been refreshingly blunt about the show’s intended audience.
‘The baked-in audience for this is women. It’s wine moms. They love this stuff,’ he told The Indian Express .
One critic — apparently unfamiliar with the romance genre — recently reviewed the series, complaining: ‘I couldn’t get past the first few episodes. The storyline is about as deep as the trite setup in which two guys find themselves alone in the locker-room shower.’ .
He concluded: ‘I’ve never seen anything with this much emphasis on physical sex outside of actual porn.’ .
But defenders argue that dismissing the show as ‘just smut’ misses the point entirely.
‘We wanted a love story that wasn’t tragic’
Storrie — who plays the brash, Russian-born Rozanov — recently explained the project’s deeper mission in a Vogue Adria interview.
‘Rachel Reid wrote this story in a very specific genre, consciously and intentionally. She’s said herself she wanted to address homophobia in hockey and spark conversation,’ he said .
‘And Jacob was very vocal about wanting to create a gay love story that wasn’t tragic. Not about people being torn apart, about lives destroyed without a happy ending.’ .
‘I receive so many messages, especially from queer people, who feel seen through Ilya. Who feel validated as bisexual.’ .
That’s not just marketing copy. The NHL — which is the only one of the four major professional men’s sports leagues in the US never to have had an active player come out — has a documented culture problem .
Reid has stated that the book ‘came from a place of me being angry at hockey culture and how clearly homophobic it was and is’ .
The toxic side of fandom
But success has a dark underbelly.
Hudson Williams, who has Korean heritage, has been targeted by racist comments from sections of the fandom . Entire X accounts exist solely to post hate about him .
François Arnaud, an openly bisexual actor who plays supporting character Scott Hunter, has been called a ‘creepy pedo’ and ‘groomer’ — because credible rumours suggested he might be dating his younger co-star, 25-year-old Storrie .
The 40-year-old actor has been bombarded with death threats.
In response, Williams and Arnaud posted simultaneous Instagram statements: ‘Don’t call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynist/… comments of any kind. If you can’t accept that — gtfoh.’ .
So, is it good — or are we all just under a spell?
Maybe it’s both.
The show has undeniable flaws. Critics point to paper-thin character development, a plot that often feels secondary to the bedroom scenes, and a near-total disinterest in actual hockey strategy .
But as literary critic Northrop Frye once noted, romance — as a genre — survives because it works as an ‘imaginative counterpoint to dominant forms’ .
In a world of queer trauma narratives, endless coming-out stories, and media that often equates LGBTQ+ identity with suffering, ‘Heated Rivalry’ offers something simpler:
Two hot guys. Lots of chemistry. And a happy ending.
Perhaps that’s not mass psychosis.
Perhaps that’s just good television.
SIDEBAR: The Numbers Don’t Lie
| Metric | Statistic |
|---|---|
| US Viewers | 10.6 million |
| Book Sales Increase | 8,000% (weekly print sales) |
| Game Changers series sales | 206,000 copies (since premiere) |
| HarperCollins quarterly revenue | $633 million (record high) |
| NHL regular season viewership (2025) | 394,000 average per game |
| Show’s weekly growth | Finale delivered 4x premiere audience |
What do you think? Is ‘Heated Rivalry’ a genuine cultural milestone — or have we all just collectively lost our minds over two hot hockey players? Let us know in the comments below.