February 3, 2026

The story of Heated Rivalry, the gay hockey romance that went from a small-budget Canadian production to a streaming hit and global phenomenon, feels like a fairy tale in many ways. The show, which is based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, has reportedly drawn an average of 9 million viewers per episode on HBO Max in the United States since it debuted last November, making it one of the streamer’s top scripted shows of the year.

 

Mel Stanfill, an associate professor of English at the University of Central Florida was quoted in Slate to explain a thing or two about how fandoms can get ugly.

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