Have you watched Heated Rivalry? Of course, you have! The Canadian series has become a global sensation since it first aired on Crave in November 2025, and there's renewed interest in the UK as the show continues to air on Sky.
The series charts the love story rival ice hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Its synopsis reads: "Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov 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 between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, as they chase glory on the ice, they struggle to navigate their feelings for each other.
"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."
However, since it aired, many fans have wondered whether the series is based on a true story. On her website, Rachel Reid, the author behind the Game Changers series of which the show is based on, revealed that while the books are inspired by real-life hockey rivalries, the characters are all original creations.
In her FAQ section, Rachel shared: "I never directly base my characters on any real people. I've been a hockey fan since the eighties, long enough to be very familiar with the different general types of hockey players. Flashy, cocky players like Ilya Rozanov; stoic leaders like Scott Hunter; exhausted veteran enforcers like Ryan Price, etc.
"One of my inspirations for Heated Rivalry was, obviously, the extremely entertaining rivalry between [Sidney] Crosby and [Alex] Ovechkin. But I was also inspired by other sports rivalries, by other fictional stories, and by my love of the enemies-to-lovers and forbidden romance tropes. My characters are original, and I work hard on creating them."
Crosby and Ovechkin's rivalry
Like Shane and Ilya, both Sidney and Alex hail from Canada and Russia respectively, and while both are known for their incredible hockey skills, they're also known for their on-rink feuding, which is rooted in a deep respect for one another.
Both continue to play ice hockey, with Sidney skating for the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Alex is the captain of the Washington Capitals. The pair entered the draft a year apart, with Alex being drafted in 2004 and Sidney the following year.
Another parallel is both players ending up in ad campaigns together. In the TV series, Ilya engineers a moment where Shane and him are paired together for an ad campaign for CCM, whereas, in real life, Alex and Sidney both ended up doing a Sports Illustrated photoshoot in the early stages of their careers.
Speaking on The Hockey News Big Show, Nate Ewell, the vice-president of communications for the Washington Capitals between 2005 and 2011 recalled: "That first year, they got thrown into a lot of things together where we went to New York together and had to do a Sports Illustrated photo shoot, and they got along fine."
Addressing their relationship in 2017, Alex said: "We respect each other. That battle between me and him, it's great. I think me and him enjoy it, [the media] enjoy it, fans enjoy it. But right now, it's not about me and him. It's about [the Capitals] and Penguins."
Speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2025, Sidney shared: "I think it's great. It was great when we first started playing against each other as far as just the rivalry and bringing the best out of everyone. I think it was great for hockey and still is."