The only thing people are talking about more than "Heated Rivalry" is the stars of "the show." And that's not necessarily a good thing.
Rumors have swirled about whether the Canadian ice hockey drama's (season finale streams Dec. 26 on HBO Max, though it's already been renewed for Season 2) stars are queer like their characters.
The show has been heating up TV screens over the last several weeks, focusing on the steamy, secret romance between rising star professional hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). The pair play a cat-and-mouse game of sexual tension, sneaking off to hotel rooms whenever they're in each other's orbit as years of hockey seasons go by. There's nudity and no shortage of sex scenes, nor are they the only characters partaking in gay sex.
While Williams and Storrie have been cozy during press for the show, neither have publicly confirmed their sexuality. “I feel honored to be able to bring someone to life that so many people feel seen, understood, and represented by, and I think that transcends whoever I’m sleeping with in my real life,” Storrie told Vulture. And Williams pushed back after the celebrity gossip Instagram Deuxmoi claimed he had a girlfriend, though his comment is now gone: "You know what, I’ve grown quite unfond of you deuxmoi."
