Story For a Sunday The Story Line with Pictures of Heated Rivalry
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Posted on OUT Magazine First
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The icy and spicy Heated Rivalry TV series is finally underway on HBO Max and Crave Canada, and fans are losing their minds over this enemies-to-lovers hockey romance saga that's poised to become the gay internet's latest obsession.
This all-new and very horny gay show follows Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie) as two massively popular hockey players who are destined, and even framed, to be rivals.
Except, upon meeting each other, the only thing these guys can think about is touching, and kissing, and puckin' each other. Relatable content!
This rivalry gets puckin' heated.
Based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers series of novels, this six-episode TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry is helmed by out director Jacob Tierney(Shoresy, Letterkenny) and features queer talent both on and off camera.
So, if you're ready to break the ice, here's everything you need to know about the storylines, characters, and actors of Heated Rivalry — now streaming new episodes every Friday on HBO Max.
What is Heated Rivalry based on?
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The official 2024 cover art for the six novels in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series of books: Game Changer (book 1); Heated Rivalry (book 2); Tough Guy (book 3); Common Goal (book 4); Role Model (book 5); The Long Game (book 6).
Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Most of the six novels in Rachel Reid's Game Changers literary franchisefocus on different characters/lead couples who have their own standalone stories (not all, but more on that later!). Thus, it's worth noting that the story of lust and love between Shane and Ilya, as seen on the Crave/HBO Max TV show, comes from book 2 in Reid's series, Heated Rivalry, originally published in 2019.
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Heated Rivalry novel cover art; Rachel Reid at the premiere of the Heated Rivalry TV series at TIFF Lightbox on November 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario.
Harlequin Enterprises Limited; Harold Feng/Getty Images
Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid, a proud resident of Nova Scotia, Canada and a lifelong hockey fan, has clarified that none of the queer hockey players in her books have been inspired by real-life athletes.
"I've been a hockey fan since the eighties, long enough to be very familiar with the different general types of hockey players," Reid has written on her website. "One of my inspirations for Heated Rivalry was, obviously, the extremely entertaining rivalry between Crosby and Ovechkin. But I was also inspired by other sports rivalries, by other fictional stories, and by my love of the enemies-to-lovers and forbidden romance tropes."
The author is also open about having Parkinson's Disease. "I don't mind talking about it and I love to joke about it," Reid has also written on her website. "It's objectively a very silly disease. Right now I'm still comfortable signing my name and maybe a personalization but I can't write longer inscriptions in books anymore."
Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander.
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Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
From Vancouver, Canada, Hudson Williams is best known for playing Brandon on Tracker, Junior on Allegiance, Sean on Nobody Dumps My Daughter, and Jason on Devil Makes Three. Starring as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry, Williams is certainly experiencing a career breakout by portraying the main character in the series.
Williams has discussed in past interviews that his mother, who is of Asian descent, had concerns about his acting career.
"When I told [my mom] that I was going to be an actor, she says it scared her, because she thought her being an Asian lady… that it would kind of limit my possibilities for roles I could get. She hadn't really seen people like her on the screen," Williams said during a panel for Heated Rivalry.
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Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
In the duality between the two main characters of Heated Rivalry, Shane Hollander is more of the overachieving athlete with a flawless reputation in professional hockey. As the captain of the Montreal Meteors (named Montreal Voyageurs in the original novel), he is also adored by sports media outlets.
Shane grows up in a loving family — mom is Japanese-American, dad is Canadian — and struggles with his sexuality due to always being so responsible and committed to a hockey career that could be blown up to pieces if he were found out to be gay.
Instagram: @hudsonwilliamsofficial
Connor Storrie plays Ilya Rozanov.
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Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Connor Storrie is also reaping the benefits of landing a breakout role on Heated Rivalry as the cocky and irresistible Ilya Rozanov. The 25-year-old actor is best known for playing Baxter in April X, a young inmate in Joker: Folie Ă Deux, Liam Hauser in Riley, and Tom in Headless Horseman.
In interviews, Storrie discussed the physical transformation that he went through in order to embody a character like Ilya, who's described in the book as being very different from how the actor actually is. Storrie also told Etalk that he's always been fascinated by Russian culture and language as a clear juxtaposition from how things are in America.
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Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Ilya Rozanov is, in many ways, Shane Hollander's complete opposite. He comes off as someone who is entirely confident, and even arrogant at times, as captain of the Boston Raiders (named Boston Bears in the original novel). However, there are plenty of complications under that hard exterior.
A big part of Ilya's personality is influenced by having a cold, distant, dismissive family from Russia, a country that still has intense anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in place. Even though Ilya feels secure about his bisexuality and has hooked up with both men and women, he's very aware that coming out to the world could not only damage his career, but also his ability to travel back home to visit Russia.
Instagram: @connorstorrieofficial
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Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
The Heated Rivalry novel takes place between 2008 and 2017 — starting when Shane and Ilya meet for the first time at a championship and following them for almost a decade after that.
Reid's book can be sweet and heartfelt, but has received even more praise for not shying away from explicit sex scenes. The story also navigates the lives of closeted athletes in a way that feels modern and realistic: Public feuds, media frenzies, and endorsement deals are all tackled to varying degrees.
The pressures of performing masculinity, dealing with internalized homophobia, and constantly choosing between a better career or personal life are all realities that challenge these characters throughout the story. For instance, it doesn't take long for them to assign nicknames for each other on their phones. Ilya, on Shane's phone, is nicknamed "Lily." Shane, on Ilya's phone, is nicknamed "Jane."
François Arnaud plays Scott Hunter.
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François Arnaud as Scott Hunter on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
François Arnaud has been an out bisexual man since 2020, when he disclosed his sexual orientation in a thoughtful social media post related to Bisexual Visibility Day. On the Heated Rivalry TV series, the actor plays Scott Hunter: A professional hockey player who happens to be the protagonist of Reid's first book in the Game Changers series of novels.
Over the years, Arnaud starred in projects such as Twinless, Blindspot, UnREAL, Yellowjackets, The Borgias, and Midnight, Texas, to name a few. In May 2024, Arnaud played a love interest in between Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus in the country singer's music video for "How Far Will We Take It?"
Instagram: @francoisarnaud
Robbie G.K. plays Kip Grady.
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Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
The Heated Rivalry television series also features an exciting appearance from Kip Grady, the main love interest in Game Changer whose romance with Scott Hunter is the main focus of Reid's first book. Here, the character is played by actor Robbie G.K.
Previously, Robbie G.K. was best known for playing Riley on Overcompensating, Simon Carpenter in Marry F*** Kill, Tempo 3 on Utopia Falls, and Charlie on The Next Step.
Instagram: @robsgk
Heated Rivalry episode 3 release date and story.
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François Arnaud as Scott Hunter in official Heated Rivalry poster; Cover art for the Game Changernovel.
HBO Max/Crave Canada; Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Heated Rivalry episode 3 centers on the relationship between Scott Hunter and Kip Grady, thus covering the events from the first book, titled Game Changer, in Reid's literary series. Overall, fans are pretty excited that book 1 is getting its own dedicated episode, meaning that Scott and Kip's love story won't just be on the sidelines all season long. Meanwhile, Scott has popped up a few times in the first two episodes of the show, and has been clocking the situationship between Shane and Ilya since episode 1.
To recap: Heated Rivalry episode 3 comes out Friday, December 5 on HBO Max, and will be led by actors François Arnaud (as Scott Hunter) and Robbie G.K. (as Kip Grady) in a one-episode story arc covering the events of the Game Changer novel that kickstarted this whole franchise.
Kolton Stewart plays Carter Vaughn.
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Kolton Stewart as Carter Vaughn on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Scott Hunter and Carter Vaughn are heavily featured in the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry as best friends who are constantly hanging out together. On the show, Carter is played by Kolton Stewart, otherwise known for starring in projects like Some Assembly Required, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, and Disenchanted, to name a few.
Instagram: @koltonstewart
Callan Potter plays Hayden Pike.
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Callan Potter as Hayden Pike on Heated Rivalry.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Hayden Pike isn't just another hockey player on Shane Hollander's team. In fact, he happens to be Shane's closest friend on Heated Rivalry. As the series goes on, try to keep an eye out for the dynamics between Hayden (as Shane's best friend) and Ilya (and Shane's love interest). Are these two guys going to get along right away as they examine their places in Shane's life? Stay tuned!
On Crave/HBO Max's Heated Rivalry TV series, the character is played by Callan Potter, who's been in Workin' Moms, Zombie Town, The Other Kingdom, Riot Girls, and Murdoch Mysteries, to name a few.
Instagram: @cal_potter
Harrison Browne — a hockey player who came out as a trans man in 2016 and went on to become the first out transgender professional hockey player in history — also stars on Heated Rivalry as a character named Connors.
Besides his appearance on the Crave/HBO Max series, 2025 has been a landmark year for Browne as director, writer, and star of the short film Pink Light about a former pro hockey player who gets to "time travels to his pre-transition past."
Instagram: @hbrowne24
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