PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Chances are you’ve watched it – or at least heard someone talking about it.

“Heated Rivalry” dropped last fall, and not only is it still topping streaming charts, but it’s also helping grow the NHL’s fan base.

“The show has been an absolute juggernaut, right? It really came out of nowhere,” said ABC reporter and pop culture expert Will Ganss. “I think because of word of mouth, because of social media, suddenly everyone is talking about ‘Heated Rivalry.'”

The hit series on HBO Max follows two fictional love stories – Shane and Ilya, and Scott and Kipp – and it’s reaching an audience that has gone unnoticed by the league.

Now, the NHL can’t ignore the show’s popularity or the real-life excitement it has generated for the sport.

Speaking to San Jose Hockey Now on Thursday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he binge-watched all of Season 1.

“We’re well aware of ‘Heated Rivalry.’ In terms of embracing it, I think it’s a wonderful story,” Bettman said.

StubHub posted on X that interest in hockey tickets on its platform increased 40% during the show’s run.

“Now you have people who have never been to a hockey game in their life spending money to go watch a hockey game,” Ganss said.

Ganss says that, like what we saw with female viewership following Taylor Swift’s love life, pop culture is once again influencing pro-sports.

“It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is amazing.’ Pop culture is really steering the conversation and our viewing habits as sports fans,” he said.

It’s also diversifying the fan base.

This week, the Flyers hosted their annual Pride Night, and some attendees told Action News the show inspired them to come to the game.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but a lot of times people don’t really associate LGBTQ fans with hockey?” asked Action News’ Christie Ileto.

“I think that’s a huge part of what this is,” Ganss said. “This show is really, for the first time, putting queer fan culture and queer player experiences at the forefront of the conversation when we talk about hockey. Before this, there hasn’t really been a reason to talk about where the queer fan community fits in with the rest of the NHL fan community. Now, for the first time, it’s like, ‘Oh, we better start thinking about this and acknowledging it, because this show is so big that we can’t ignore that conversation.'”

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