Heated Rivalry—about the secret affair between competing hockey stars—was initially made for Canadian TV, but now HBO Max has announced it’ll stream the highly anticipated series in the United States and Australia…
The highly anticipated queer hockey romance Heated Rivalry has been scoring a ton of international attention ahead of its November 28 premiere on the Canadian streamer Crave. Now U.S. fans can rejoice because the television adaptation of the beloved Rachel Reid book has landed at HBO Max for American viewers.
The forthcoming TV adaptation is a Crave original series, which left American streamers in doubt after the it landed at a Canadian service.
Created by writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney and based on Reid’s bestselling book series Game Changers, Heated Rivalry tells the love story of rival hockey players Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie). The pair are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there’s room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile – and powerful – as real love.
The cast also includes François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova.
The six-episode Crave Original show will premiere on HBO Max in the U.S. on November 28, the same day it premieres on Crave in Canada. Heated Rivalry is also set to premiere on HBO Max in Australia on November 28. Episodes will be released weekly through December 26.
“Heated Rivalry is premium, high-caliber content that resonates with global audiences,” Justin Stockman, vice president of content development and programming at Bell Media (which owns Crave), said. “These international sales are a testament to Accent Aigu Entertainment’s vision for Rachel Reid’s story and underscore the strength of our partnership with Sphere Abacus, and our shared commitment to bringing compelling, buzzyworthy content to viewers worldwide.”
Added Jonathan Ford, managing director of Sphere Abacus, the primary international distributor of Bell Media’s distribution rights: “With strong performances from its lead actors, Heated Rivalry delivers a powerful and unique narrative which our clients in all parts of the world are keen to share with their viewers.”
The series was first announced during Bell Media’s 2025/2026 upfront presentation in the summer, an event highlighting new shows to advertisers, and production on the series officially wrapped in June.
Reid’s book Heated Rivalry was first published on March 25, 2019. Earlier this year she recognized the anniversary on Instagram. “Six years of Ilya and Shane! Heated Rivalry was published on March 25, 2019 and I am not exaggerating when I say these two idiots changed my life,” the post read. “They are my favourite sons and the love they’ve received brings me endless joy.
Heated Rivalry is book two in the Game Changer series by Reid. The six book series are all male/male hockey romances. The first book, Game Changer, was published in 2018. Each book follows the life of a different couple with the exception of The Long Game which revisits Shane and Ilya’s love story. The other books include Tough Guy, Common Goal and Role Model.
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