by Caelan John
(spoilers ahead for Heated Rivalry!)
Heated Rivalry, let’s talk about it! I was closeted during my time as an athlete, so this show really touched my heart. Quick synopsis: it’s about love, struggle, vulnerability and a little bit of hockey. We follow the love lives of Scott Hunter, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, who play in the Major Hockey League. It’s very interesting to see a story about hockey, a sport that is traditionally hypermasculine and heteronormative, showcase gay love.
It’s 2008, the International Prospect Cup, where Ilya is playing for Team Russia, Shane for Team Canada, and the rivalry begins. Both teams practice on the same ice and the two get a chance to size up the other. Shane, being the best on his team, is excited for the competition that Ilya brings to the ice. Russia wins the international Prospect Cup, and the rivalry continues through them getting drafted into the league. Ilya offers Shane some water, fingers linger, and eyes wander, but there is a completely different intense energy in the air that neither of them pulls away from.
Shane and Ilya start hooking up in hotels and Shane comes to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for Ilya. Some people know who they are, but it is often the people that you bond with that allow you to be and understand yourself. These moments of tenderness allow the show to have depth and connect with the audience, who are or have maybe been in a similar position of sexual expression. I felt this way the first time an openly queer athlete joined my team and was unapologetically themselves.
Scott is the character I connect with the most. On the ice he is like any other player, talking trash and competing his heart out, but off the ice, he’s lonely and isolated in the closet. There’s a flashback scene to the Olympics, where Scott, Shane and Carter Vaughnre (Scott’s teammate and friend) are talking about a gay figure skater in an ice cream shop and they applaud him for being brave. I’ve had that exact experience before, where teammates were talking about players on another team being gay and I kind of tensed up. Scared they would look at me differently based on my sexuality.
We follow Scott on his journey of coming out of the closet when he starts falling in love with Kip, a guy he meets at a smoothie shop after a run. Kip inspires him to come out through the love they share. Gay characters don’t normally get a happy ending in mainstream media, so it feels well deserved. Scott also comes out very publicly by kissing Kip on the ice after winning a championship in front of the whole stadium. I cried because this scene healed teenage me so much as a closeted kid in sports. Being gay should be simple and yet, having to hide a part of yourself to teammates that you have built a bond with feels isolating.
“I’m coming to the cottage” is one of the more iconic lines, a fan favorite. To me it’s about Ilya agreeing with Shane that he wants something more and he feels something more than just lust when it comes to him. Ilya finds this bravery in himself to follow his heart after watching Scott come out in front of the world.
I didn’t have this kind of representation growing up in high school and it’s really important to have it now because gay love is real and it needs to be seen. I was not expecting to love this show as much as I did. Yes, it’s about sex but also about love, intimacy, human connection and being proud of who you are. Originally I wasn’t going to watch Heated Rivalry, but I’m happy I did and I recommend it to you!