The NHL is Heating Up: Heated Rivalry’s Impact on the NHL

By: Gabby Miller

February 16, 2026

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Unless you have been living under a rock, my guess is you have heard of Heated Rivalry. If there’s something the world never would have guessed would take the media by storm, two hockey players who fall in love under a steamy enemies-to-lovers storyline would be relatively high on that list. I’m also willing to assume the world wouldn’t guess that the rivalry behind the storyline, minus the gay romance, was inspired by the infamous hockey feud between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.  

Enter, Heated Rivalry. In this Crave Original series, the top two draft picks, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov, are constantly compared and set face-to-face. These two rival hockey stars face an unexpected challenge when they develop inescapable feelings for each other, complicating their careers. 

The series’s success was immediate and significant. Heated Rivalry earned an 8.9/10 rating on IMDb and a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, quickly rising into the top three most-watched shows on HBO Man in both the United States and Australia. Amassing over 600 million minutes viewed, it was a top-five debut on HBO Max, with viewership surging over 700 percent from its premiere. 

Needless to say, the show was a major success. The show left direct and indirect impacts on the NHL. First, the show significantly impacted the NHL by creating a swarm of new hockey fans for the NHL. It has both widened and diversified the audience, bringing in the audience that the NHL has continuously insisted it wants. The show drove a massive surge of interest in hockey, roping in romance readers, LGBTQ+ audiences, casual viewers, and younger fans. This diverse, young, global, and emotionally invested audience is one that the NHL hasn’t discovered how to reach, yet Heated Rivalry did in six episodes. But don’t just take it from me. Even NHL commissioner Gary Bettman admitted to binging the show in one night.

This ticketing surge was represented through SeatGeek reporting a 20% jump in ticket demand and StubHub noting a 40% jump in interest after the release of the show. More specifically, the teams Hollander and Rosanov play for in the show mirror the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins, a real-life heated rivalry that dates back to their first meeting in 1924. For NHL fanatics, it doesn’t take much to be excited to see these two teams face off. Yet, their face-off on January 24, 2026, received a surge in interest within StubHub ticketing sales, being six times higher than normal and 35 percent higher than a typical matchup between the two teams. Additionally, 82 percent of those who purchased tickets were first-time buyers, which is three times more than usual. 

And finally, the show has brought increased visibility to the league, dominated social media, stirred up pop-culture conversations, and highlighted the need for greater LGBTQ+ inclusivity. It has even become integrated into some NHL games. Some arenas, like Crypto.com Arena, home of the Los Angeles Kings, have inserted clips of iconic “I’m coming to the cottage” Hollander and Rosanov scene and songs like “All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u from the show. In-game moments like these have taken over social media, revealing how the incorporation of clips from the show stirs up the crowds further, enlarging how the Heated Rivarly fanbase has conglomerated with the NHL, regardless of the team. 

This representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the NHL is monumental, as back in 2023, the NHL implemented a ban on players using Pride tape on their sticks. This followed a June 2023 ban on teams wearing special jerseys, including Pride jerseys. Although the ban on Pride tape was quickly reversed in later in the month, it was implemented, and there hasn’t been much progress, representation, or support of the LGBTQ+ community. The show has sparked conversations about making the sport more welcoming, with even some current players in the NHL and other professional athletes sending somewhat anonymous messages admitting to being in the closet to co-star of the series Hudson Williams and author of the books that the show is based on, Rachel Reid.

Needless to say, Heated Rivalry has been the talk of the town, and there is a high chance you have at least heard of it. Whether it was intentional or not, this show instantly became a huge hit, breaking records on screen and leaving a lasting impact on the NHL. Heated Rivalry obtained the audience expansion the NHL has been trying to hit in just six episodes. Through a story people feel emotionally attached to, Heated Rivalry has invited the LGBTQ+ community to the sport and expanded the fandom. It opens the door to other opportunities for expanding LGBTQ+ representation in other sports-related media and continues to leave us wondering how it will continue to impact the world of sports.