Hockey player Jesse Kortuem, who played as a defenseman and center in several leagues but never the NHL, is publicly coming out as gay after being inspired by Heated Rivalry! On Tuesday, the athlete took to Facebook to open up about his journey to embracing his sexuality after hiding it for years amid his hockey pursuits. Jesse shared that "something has sparked in me" to go public for the first time, crediting the popular gay romance series, which follows the love story between two closeted hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.