About “Heated Rivalry” in a few words:

Heated Rivalry is a spicy Canadian sports-romance TV series that premiered on Crave in late 2025 and is streaming on HBO Max in many regions. It’s adapted from Rachel Reid’s beloved Game Changers novels and follows two rival pro hockey stars — Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov — whose on-ice competitiveness masks a secret, long-term connection full of passion, conflict, and self-discovery. Expect fierce competition, hidden love, and plenty of heart.

Meet the characters from Heated Rivalry

Shane Hollander

Oh man, Shane is the kind of person who storms into a room and you immediately know something fun — or catastrophic — is about to happen. He’s loud, fiercely loyal, and has a tactical brain under all that loud-ness, like someone who plans three moves ahead while yelling at the referee. He’s hot-headed and stubborn but also the first one to show up when things get messy, which is annoyingly admirable; also he collects old concert wristbands? Weird flex. In the rivalry he’s the loud frontline — charismatic leader with bad timing and a soft spot for stray animals.

Ilya Rozanov

Ilya is chill in this icy, poised way that makes people think he’s untouchable, and then he does something surprisingly impulsive and you realize he’s just elegantly unhinged. Calculating, patient, and a little theatrical — like a chessmaster who practices lines in the mirror — he’s the sort of rival who smiles while setting the trap. He loves classical music and black coffee but will inexplicably binge reality shows at 3 a.m.; contradictory but somehow consistent? In the feud he’s the strategist who prefers mind games to fist fights, though he can absolutely get physical if cornered.

Scott Hunter

Scott is solid — like a redwood with a tattoo and a soft laugh — the dependable brawn with an unexpectedly gentle center. He’s stubborn in the best way, protective, and he hates drama even while somehow attracting the worst of it; also he’s really, really bad at small talk but great at making you a sandwich. He leads with actions more than words and is the guy who’ll fix your car at midnight and then apologize for getting grease on your carpet. In the rivalry he’s the steady anchor: less flashy, more effective, and surprisingly sentimental about old baseball cards.

Hayden Pike

Hayden is pure charisma with the occasional snooty smirk and a backpack full of contingency plans (and snacks, always snacks). Smooth, social-media-slick, and alarmingly persuasive — he can charm a crowd while quietly rewriting the rules — but he’s also insecure in little ways, like double-checking texts five times and owning way too many vintage sunglasses. He’s adaptive, clever, and loves a good risk, though he pretends it’s all strategy when really sometimes he’s just bored. In rivalries he’s the wildcard: equal parts showman and schemer, and yes he waters his succulents at exactly 2 p.m. every Thursday.