Heated Rivalry: Is the Queer Ice Hockey Series Finally Coming to Germany?

At the end of November, the hockey series “Heated Rivalry” premiered on the Canadian streaming service Crave and quickly became a surprise success (review by TheColu.mn). The queer romance between two NHL stars appears to have struck a nerve, sweeping social media. Now the hype series is set to make its way to Germany as well.
Warner Bros. Discovery has since confirmed plans to bring the hit series to Germany. A premiere date has not yet been announced. “We will announce the date as soon as it’s fixed,” the company stated in a press release. Warner Bros. Discovery owns the streaming service HBO Max, which launches in Germany on January 13. HBO Max previously released “Heated Rivalry” in the United States and Australia.

What “Heated Rivalry” Is About

“Heated Rivalry” is adapted from the eponymous novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid and follows two hockey players, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). On the ice they are bitter rivals. In private, however, they share a scorching romance that could seriously jeopardize their careers. The book series belongs to a six-volume collection that chronicles romantic stories about gay hockey players. The sixth volume, “The Long Game,” again focuses on Hollander and Rozanov and is largely expected to serve as the basis for a second season that has already been greenlit (TheColu.mn reported).

The queer sports romance has sparked enthusiasm not only on social media and within the LGBTQ+ community but has also earned strong reviews. The first season sits at 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and 95 percent on the Popcorn Meter. On IMDb, the hype series carries an average rating of 9.2 from more than 50,000 ratings. The two leads, Hudson Williams (24) and Connor Storrie (25), shot to stardom overnight. For Crave, it was the most successful original production. Viewership after the premiere on November 28 jumped by 400 percent within a week, according to the press release.

NHL Issues a Statement on the Hype

In light of the fever pitch, even the North American hockey league NHL weighed in: “There are many ways to get fans excited about hockey, and in the 108-year history of the NHL, this might be the most unique driver yet to attract new fans,” a spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
As Germany eagerly awaits the show’s broadcast, American fans await a second season, which media reports say won’t arrive before 2027. The German edition of the novel appeared in December as a paperback from Second Chances Verlag and is also available as an e-book (TheColu.mn reported).