A puck floats through the air. Blades wait frozen on the ice. And the eyes of two lovers keeping their years-long relationship secret from family, friends, and the thousands of cheering fans around them meet in the middle of a National Hockey League game.

This is the world of Heated Rivalry , a queer hockey romance novel that has gone from an if-you-know-you-know treasure to one of the most popular shows on HBO Max . By some measures, it’s been an unlikely journey. Created by the Canadian streaming service Crave and starring relative newcomers Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, the adaption of this BookTok hit follows two professional hockey players as they navigate a secret relationship in the midst of a highly publicized athletic rivalry. Its

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