![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TDP-L-Image_20260204_170002_010.jpeg\")
The Spicy Librarian didn’t carry Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series of books before “Heated Rivalry” premiered in November, but now they anchor the store’s featured display. (Photo by Corey Masisak\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\nMary Myers is a huge football fan and loves the Denver Broncos.<\/p>\n
As she put it though, being a women and a fan in male-dominated sports is not always welcoming. Myers and one of her best friends, Andrea Slora, are not big hockey fans. But like many other people, they are very much fans of \u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d the Canadian television show that streamed on HBOMax in the United States and has become a pop culture phenomenon.<\/p>\n
Myers, who is bisexual, read the \u201cGame Changers\u201d series of books by Canadian author Rachel Reid, on which the show is based, and then was tuned in when the show premiered on Thanksgiving. She recommended it to Slora, who is queer, and both \u201chave been consumed by it.\u201d So much so that Myers was at Ball Arena on Monday night, wearing a sweatshirt featuring the two main characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, with Slora, sporting a Boston Raiders shirt with No. 81 and Rozanov on the back.<\/p>\n
Show\u2019s popularity drives ticket sales<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t alone. It was Pride Night for the Colorado Avalanche, and on the concourses, it was also a celebration of the show that has brought hockey to a whole new audience. Just in the span of a five-minute interview, six people came up to Myers and Slora to compliment them on the shirts they were wearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my close coworkers is a huge Avs fan and she\u2019s also queer,\u201d Slora said. \u201cSo I was like, \u2018OK, I have a spot here.\u2019 Also, just seeing how into it she is, like she will watch the games when we\u2019re at work and get so into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Avalanche has had a Pride Night on the promotional schedule for nearly a decade, and the organization was one of the first sports teams to participate in the Denver Pride Parade. The team did not incorporate specific \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d themes into its plans for Monday evening, but it was easily its most successful Pride Night.<\/p>\n
Sales on the Pride Night ticket packages were up 47% from last year, which was previously the best-selling night. A portion of the proceeds will go to You Can Play, a campaign that promotes inclusion and hopes to eradicate homophobia in sports.<\/p>\n
There were some allusions to the show \u2014 the phrase \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d was on the scoreboard before the game with the Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings logos, and \u201cAll The Things She Said,\u201d which has become synonymous with the show, also played in the arena shortly before puck drop.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also little question that the popularity of the show and the books helped drive the record sales.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeated Rivalry has been a conversation topic in the office,\u201d Avs marketing director Megan Boyle said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool to see how many people that have never even watched hockey or cared too much about hockey have started to take interest in hockey and the Avalanche.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it just shows that community and a sense of belonging is really important. That\u2019s one of the biggest reasons why we continue to do Pride Night is to be part of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support from Avs players<\/p>\n
Two Avalanche players, Parker Kelly and Scott Wedgewood, wore Pride tape on their sticks for warmups Monday night.<\/p>\n
It was a choice that isn\u2019t lost on many fans. The NHL\u2019s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community has earned plenty of criticism in recent years. Teams wore Pride jerseys for warmups and players used the rainbow-colored tape for several years. Then, during the 2022-23 season, a handful of players refused to wear them, citing their religious beliefs.<\/p>\n
The league made a blanket decision to forbid teams from wearing any specialty jerseys \u2014 Pride, Military Appreciation, Hockey Fights Cancer, etc. \u2014 as a reaction to protect players from future derision. Since then, fewer players have worn the tape on their sticks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were some people in my life that I wanted to support,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cIt\u2019s a small gesture, but maybe if there was someone in the stands that felt a little more welcome or maybe lightened their spirit a little bit \u2014 just wanted to make sure everyone knows we\u2019re on the same team and I\u2019m supporting some friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many NHL players have spoken about the show and its potential impact on the sport, but few have admitted to watching it. Kelly watched all six episodes after his wife recommended it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good storyline,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cI\u2019m sure there are athletes out there who haven\u2019t come out yet and it\u2019s probably a bit scary. The show is definitely popping off with the rating and everything, but yeah, it just kind of gives you a perspective into what could possibly be going on with an athlete that you don\u2019t even know could be going through that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018This is how she got us to go to a game\u2019<\/p>\n
Syndey Ivey, the owner of The Spicy Librarian, a romance bookshop in RiNo, said her store did not carry Reid\u2019s books before the show premiered on HBO Max.<\/p>\n
Now? There was a \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d-themed advertisement outside the store on Monday afternoon, and a huge display featuring all of Reid\u2019s \u201cGame Changers\u201d series and several other hockey romance books just a few steps past the front door.<\/p>\n
She is struggling to keep the books in stock. The demand for them is \u201cconstant \u2026 like, every day.\u201d Ivey is also not really into hockey or sports in general.<\/p>\n
The Spicy Librarian didn’t carry Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series of books before “Heated Rivalry” premiered in November, but now they anchor the store’s featured display. (Photo by Corey Masisak\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my best friends, she loves hockey and has been trying to get us to go to an Avs game forever,\u201d Ivey said. \u201cThis is how she got us to go to a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is queer romance, but it is truly queer joy. We don\u2019t get to see that in a lot of queer stories. Some have happy endings, but it usually comes with severe trauma and tragedy to begin with. They go through their trials and stuff like that, but this is queer joy from start to finish and everybody gets to celebrate that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben Rieter\u2019s husband, Andrew, read the \u201cGame Changers\u201d series in 2022. He bought tickets to an Avs game as a birthday present for Ben, and now they are partial season-ticket holders.<\/p>\n
They were at Ball Arena on Monday night sporting Hollander and Rozanov jerseys, amazed by the number of people who were also decked out in \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d-themed gear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like everyone is finding your secret,\u201d Reiter said, as fans of the books before the show existed. \u201cWe ordered these jerseys on TikTok. We did custom-order Avs jerseys with their last names, but they didn\u2019t come in time for today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show was originally developed by Crave in Canada. Its creator, Jacob Tierney, is also the co-creator of \u201cLetterkenney\u201d and \u201cShoresy,\u201d two shows that include hockey and have more of a niche audience in the United States. \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d has reached exponentially new levels of popularity, leading to hard questions and debate about the NHL\u2019s relationship with the queer community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think part of our culture is that community is very important to us,\u201d Boyle said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to just do the bare minimum. We are always looking for ways to grow and make more of an impact where we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kinsey Brown and Breagh Kristen were both sporting a custom-made version of the \u201cCanada fleece\u201d that Hollander wears during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in the show at Ball Arena on Monday night. Canada\u2019s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, wore the fleece jacket while taking pictures with Hudson Williams, the actor who portrays Hollander, last week.<\/p>\n
![\"Hudson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26030056220154.jpg\")
Hudson Williams, of the TV series “Heated Rivalry,” presents Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a fleece from the show on the red carpet at the Prime Time screen and media industry conference gala in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (Patrick Doyle\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
Williams and Connor Storrie, who portrays Rozanov, were also Olympic torch bearers last week. Storrie is going to host the first episode of \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d after the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan conclude.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has definitely gotten more attention for the sport, but the bigger issue is it\u2019s still a conservative sport and there\u2019s not a lot of inclusion,\u201d Kristen said. \u201cI feel like the more eyes you have on something, the more difference we can make and I think that\u2019s super important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown had a friend recommend the books, and once the show was released, it \u201chas consumed my every thought since.\u201d She and Kristen were at Pride Night because they wanted to support the community and expected to see other fans of Heated Rivalry and the \u201cGame Changers\u201d books as well.<\/p>\n
They were excited for the celebration, but both are also longtime Avalanche fans and the large number of Red Wings fans in attendance added an interesting wrinkle.<\/p>\n
It became a heated rivalry kind of night, both on the ice and in the stands.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Expletive) Detroit,\u201d Kristen said. \u201cAnd you can quote me on that.\u201d<\/p>\n