Heated Rivalry only premiered in late November, but the chokehold this show has on viewers everywhere is already the stuff of legend. The buzz, the hype, the heat — and yes, the collective thirst — barely had time to settle before the best possible news dropped. Crave has officially confirmed a season two renewal, and honestly? Thank God. Because the idea of this series ending after one season feels like emotional cruelty, if not an actual hate crime.
The announcement came fast, loud, and with all the confidence of a show that knows exactly what it’s doing to us. Deadline first reported that season two was greenlit, with HBO Max once again securing streaming rights for the U.S. and Australia. Translation: the international gays remain fed, hydrated, and deeply invested.
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Rivalry, But Make It Gay
Set inside the hyper-masculine, body-slamming, accidentally homoerotic world of fictional Major League Hockey, Heated Rivalry thrives on tension — sexual, emotional, and physical. At its center are two men who absolutely refuse to mind their business.
Shane Hollander, captain of the Montreal Meteors, is broody, disciplined, and carved entirely from repression and jaw tension. Hudson Williams plays him like a man who learned emotions are optional but muscles are mandatory. Across the ice is Ilya Rozanov, the Boston Raiders’ flirtatious Russian-born menace, brought to life by Connor Storrie with a wink, a smirk, and zero regard for heterosexual peace.
On the ice, they’re sworn enemies. Off the ice, the gloves come off — and frankly, so does everything else. Their chemistry crackles in that very specific way that feels both dangerous and inevitable, like watching two men who are absolutely going to ruin each other before they finally get it right.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (And Neither Do Our Group Chats)
The steamy drama has officially become Crave’s biggest original series on record, with viewership growing by nearly 400% in its first seven days after debut. Those numbers aren’t just impressive — they’re confirmation that this story has tapped into something hungry, underserved, and extremely online.
People aren’t just watching Heated Rivalry. They’re pausing it. Rewinding it. Texting about it. Posting screenshots. Writing think pieces. Questioning their relationship with sports dramas. This isn’t background television — it’s appointment viewing with consequences.
ilya’s smile when shane folds his clothes is adorable #heatedrivalry pic.twitter.com/ar7eHNFPnb
— ash (@weltonsrichmond) December 11, 2025
So… What Happens in Season Two?
If you’re familiar with Rachel Reid’s Game Changers universe, you already know the answer is: emotional devastation, yearning, and even more heat. Connor Storrie has very casually suggested fans start reading The Long Game if they want spoilers, which feels less like advice and more like a threat.
Hudson Williams didn’t exactly calm anyone down either, teasing that the next season will be “hotter, wetter, longer.” No notes. No follow-up questions. We understand completely.
Love, Secrets, and a Decade of Denial
Season two is expected to pull heavily from The Long Game, the sixth installment in the Game Changers series. The premise cuts straight to the heart: Shane and Ilya have been secretly together for ten years. Ten. Years. Hidden from friends, family, and the league itself.
Shane believes staying closeted is the price of staying on top of his game. Ilya, meanwhile, is done with secrets. He wants the risk, the honesty, the public truth of loving someone out loud. The tension isn’t just about hockey anymore — it’s about whether love is something you protect by hiding or by fighting for.
It’s intimate, it’s painful, and it’s devastatingly relatable for anyone who’s ever weighed safety against happiness.
Built by People Who Get It
Created by Canadian writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney — yes, the mind behind Letterkenny and Shoresy — the series understands masculinity well enough to dismantle it. Based on Game Changers by Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry doesn’t just flirt with queerness — it commits.
With only six episodes in season one, the show has already proven it knows exactly how to balance lust, longing, and layered storytelling. Season two promises to go deeper, riskier, and louder — emotionally and otherwise.
The ice is still cold. The rivalry is still burning. And thankfully, this love story is far from over.