Fans Crave Gay Hockey Romance as Rivalry Sparks Record-Breaking Episode

I’ve already shared the excitement around *Heated Rivalry*, the captivating gay hockey romance series that our yaoi-loving friends from Canada have gifted us. Fast forward a few weeks, and it seems the fanbase is growing rapidly.

Reports indicate that *Heated Rivalry* has become the most-watched original series on Canada’s Bell Media Crave streaming platform. In the U.S., it stands out as the highest-rated non-animated series HBO Max has picked up since its 2020 launch, landing among the top five scripted debuts on the service this year.

This breakout series is making waves across the country. There’s a whole TikTok community dedicated to it (I even snagged a shirt for my sister through one of those channels). The gay bar where I sometimes work has been blasting “All The Things She Said” on repeat. They’re showcasing scenes on the Jumbotron at hockey games, creating flirty videos, and sports bars in WeHo are packed with fans buzzing about the latest episode.

The episode titled “I’ll Believe in Anything” is currently rated as the second-best episode of television ever by IMDb users, just behind *Breaking Bad’s* iconic “Ozymandias.” Both episodes boast a perfect 10-star rating, but *Heated Rivalry* has achieved this with only 31,000 votes compared to *Breaking Bad’s* 273,000.

While showrunner Jacob Tierney and rising stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams are pleasantly surprised by the show’s success, it’s particularly remarkable how the hockey community has embraced it. Straight guys with hockey podcasts are tuning in to this gay series with genuine enthusiasm rather than judgment.

The NHL, a league often criticized for its players using homophobic slurs and shying away from Pride events, is now welcoming the attention that *Heated Rivalry* has brought to the sport, which has struggled to maintain a steady viewership in the U.S. “There are so many ways to get hooked on hockey, and in the NHL’s 108-year history, this might be the most unique driver for creating new fans. See you all at the rink,” a league spokesperson shared.

If you have a young woman or a gay man in your family, be prepared to hear about this show during the holidays if you haven’t already. The season finale of *Heated Rivalry* is set to air on HBO Max at 12 a.m. ET on December 26.