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overthinking entertainment
Heated Rivalry: Rookies - Season 1, Episode 1
Two rival hockey stars at the peak of their careers face an unexpected emotional connection, challenging their professional paths and disrupting the sports world's expectations.
Based on the romance novel by Rachel Reid. Trailer here or here. It seems to be popular on Rotten Tomatoes so far.
From the executive director of Letterkenny and Shoresy, On Crave in Canada, HBO Max in the US, Australia and New Zealand.
posted by Cuke on Nov 30, 2025 at 8:00 PM
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This was much, much, much steamier than I expected. My partner is a Montreal Canadiens fan and when she sat down to watch a new hockey show I was thinking more Les Boys than this. Oh my goodness. It's light on the hockey, heavy on the other action. I've never read the books but it seems like fans are mostly happy with the casting. Apparently the book was inspired by Crosby-Ovetchkin rivalry.
posted by Cuke at 8:06 PM
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My best friend LOVES these books. She was very excited to hear about the show. I present to you the series of texts she sent to me as she watched the first episode (I was in a movie at the time so I didn't get them until I got home):
okay i'm starting it
oh longing stares
just horny right out the gate
i love this for me
BUTTS
BI-AWAKENING
I love this for her and the fans of the series too.
posted by Kitteh at 5:07 AM
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I am seeing gifs and some discussion on tumblr. My impression from the gifs is that these guys are too hairless and too movie-star jacked for realism (as opposed to hockey jacked, which is generally meatier. Especially Ovi and Sid. Bless his heart, Sid is a fucking tank on bow legs.) Also they apparently have all their own teeth.
Folks are definitely noting in the comments that it's light on the hockey and heavy on the sex. Not terrible for a romance show, but as a hockey enjoyer I think they're missing out if there's no team dynamics and not much on-ice footage. These men are not normal about each other on the ice! That's where all the good fic comes from. But I know that the conventions of romance are totally different from the conventions of fanfic, which gets pretty weird with it, and maybe it's for the best that the fic stays under its log, free from the harsh light of tv.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 5:35 AM
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Oh goodness but this is hot. Loved this first episode. It's so nice seeing gay romance depicted on TV. Sure it's not great hockey, the whole story is unrealistic, but that's not the point. It's a romance novel! Brought to video. Very, very sexy video, they were not at all shy about depicting explicit gay sex between men. Phew.
posted by Nelson at 8:29 AM
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I also wish there was more hockey on screen. Shorsey (Jared Keeso who made Letterkenney with Jacob Tierny who's making Heated Rivalry) seemed to capture that balance better but that's not a romance story (unless the romance is with hockey).
As a Bruins fan, I find the idea of the Boston Raiders funny.
Also... there are no out NHL players past or present?
posted by kokaku at 12:57 PM
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Someone in Pittsburgh pointed out that the shape of the Boston Raiders logo is actually the shape on the Pennsylvania license plate! Super not Massachusetts, visually.
The only out player I'm aware of is Luke Prokop, who I think is at the AHL level in Bakersfield - not sure whether he's eligible for callups to the NHL level. Also there's a player agent who is out, and he's gotten support from e.g. Sid and other NHL players for it.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 1:34 PM
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