Connor Storrie (left) as Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams (right) as Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander in 'Heated Rivalry.' HBO Max/Bell Media Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text BookTok rejoice! Crave's Jacob Tierney-created adaptation of Rachel Reid's gay hockey romance novel, Heated Rivarly, has sold to HBO Max in the U.S. and Australia, Bell Media announced Wednesday. The six-episode series centers around two rival professional hockey players - Canadian-born Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) of the fictitious Montreal Voyageurs and Russian-born Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Bears - as they navigate a secret fling that lasts years. Letterkenny alumni Tierney and Brendan Brady are showrunning the series from Accent Aigu Entertainment. Related Stories TV 'Mad Men' Fulfills Its Prestige-TV Destiny as Part of the HBO Max Catalog Business How Young Hollywood Ranks CEOs, Streamers and Birkenstocks in the Office HBO Max has acquired the series to air parallel to its Crave release in Canada following the premiere on Nov. 28. The Canadian entertainment company also announced the series will air on Sky in New Zealand and Moviestar Plus+ in Spain. Sphere Abacus, which Bell Media acquired earlier this year, handled the sale. "Heated Rivarly is premium, high-caliber content that resonates with global audiences," Bell Media's vice president of content development and programming Justin Stockman said in a release. "These international sales are a testament to Accent Aigu Entertainment's vision for Rachel Reid's story and underscore the strength of our partnership with Sphere Abacus, and our shared commitment to bringing compelling, buzzyworthy content to viewers worldwide." The show's source material is the second in a string of gay hockey romance novels by Reid that are all set in the same universe. A synopsis from Heated Rivalry's producers 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 confused teenagers at 17 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 off of it. 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." Heated Rivalry is executive produced by Tierney and Brady, with Reid serving as a consulting producer. The series premieres on Crave and HBO Max on Nov. 28. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up hbo Daniel Radcliffe Says He Wrote a Letter to the New Harry Potter Actor in HBO's Reboot The American Revolution Paul Giamatti Can't Leave John Adams Alone: Who Plays Who in Ken Burns' 'The American Revolution' Sports NBC, Netflix Snag MLB Rights as League Inks New TV Deals Live Feed Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys on the Liberation in 'The Beast in Me' Finale and Possible Second Season streaming F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 Livestream: How to Watch the Race Online for Free Fox Entertainment '100 Foot Wave' EP Maria Zuckerman Inks First-Look Deal at Fox Entertainment Studios hbo Daniel Radcliffe Says He Wrote a Letter to the New Harry Potter Actor in HBO's Reboot The American Revolution Paul Giamatti Can't Leave John Adams Alone: Who Plays Who in Ken Burns' 'The American Revolution' Sports NBC, Netflix Snag MLB Rights as League Inks New TV Deals Live Feed Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys on the Liberation in 'The Beast in Me' Finale and Possible Second Season streaming F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2025 Livestream: How to Watch the Race Online for Free Fox Entertainment '100 Foot Wave' EP Maria Zuckerman Inks First-Look Deal at Fox Entertainment Studios