Millions of Heated Rivalry fans are already counting down to the show’s second season, expected next year, but one person may be watching the premiere date with some unease.
When season two arrives next April, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman could face renewed questions about how welcoming the league is to LGBTQ+ people, thanks to a major plot point from The Long Game, the sequel novel on which the new season is expected to be based.
The Long Game takes place several years after the events of season one and follows closeted hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander as they struggle to keep their relationship secret.
In the book, fictional commissioner Roger Crowell reacts badly when he learns the pair are dating and threatens to end their careers unless they agree to lie about it.
“If you post your own statement and start flaunting your…relationship…then you will obliterate your legacies. You’ll be jokes. Choose carefully,” he says in the novel.
NHL already thinking ahead
The real-life NHL appears to be considering the potential impact of that storyline, particularly as Heated Rivalry has introduced a new wave of viewers to hockey.
NHL Senior Executive Vice President Kim Davis addressed the issue in an interview with PR Week, saying Bettman has already spoken with the show’s co-producers about how he would respond in real life.
Davis noted that Bettman has “shared with the co-producers that what they say about him [in the show] is not at all the way he would react.”
“We have work to do in preparation for that,” she added.
League’s mixed LGBTQ+ record
Bettman himself appears to be a fan of Heated Rivalry, reportedly calling it “a wonderful story” and saying he binged the series in one night.
However, the NHL has a complicated history when it comes to supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion.
The league helped create the You Can Play project, which works to eliminate homophobia in sport, but it has also faced criticism over its handling of Pride initiatives.
That includes controversy around Pride tape, disputes over players wearing Pride jerseys, and the fact the NHL has still never had an openly gay active player.
Luke Prokop is out, but he plays in the AHL rather than the NHL.
It remains unclear whether the commissioner storyline from The Long Game will appear in season two exactly as written.
Still, the NHL already appears to be preparing for the conversation that could follow, particularly as the show continues bringing queer romance, hockey culture, and questions of inclusion to a much wider audience.
