For the first time in several years, droves of new fans are attending games, and the catalyst is an original Canadian show called ‘Heated Rivalry’. Professional hockey, not just the National Hockey League, is experiencing a boom in ticket sales. Attendance and viewership are up.
The show has drawn the admiration of many people, even the straight-laced NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
“I watched all six episodes. I binged it all in one night. I thought it was wonderful… and a little bit spicy,” said Gary Bettman in reference to the highly controversial and groundbreaking show.
‘Heated Rivalry’ is based on the novel by Rachel Reid, who set out to tell a queer love story while tackling issues surrounding toxic-masculinity. ‘Heated Rivalry’ has been wildly successful for Crave. To date, it’s the most successful debut for an original show the platform has ever seen.
SeatGeek, a ticket distributor, has reported a 34% increase in NHL ticket sales since the show debuted in late November.
Some people like Paige Manns are self-described non-hockey fans. “I did not engage with hockey at all. For me, it was very much a boys’ club, and it wasn’t open or accepting at all. Heated Rivalry changed that for me. I found that with the popularity of the show, more people are watching the sport.”
Manns has been regularly tuning into the NHL’s counterpart, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, a league that has set their foundation on inclusion and diversity. Manns, who is a queer person, feels the NHL and hockey overall are underrepresented in the gay community.
“I think as a community, gay people and people of colour such as myself are vastly unrepresented in media, let alone sports media. The show is great because it’s bringing more attention to Canada and hockey in Canada. It is our sport; we created it. We should be the ones who create that inclusive environment,” said Manns.
Manns believes the show has been instrumental in promoting inclusivity in a sport that has traditionally been very exclusive.
“The show is very diverse. Hudson Williams, who is a person of colour, is portrayed as one of the biggest names in hockey. In the current hockey climate, That’s not really a thing at the moment. There is a lack of Indigenous players; there aren’t many African-American, Asian or Latino hockey players. It’s hard to include everyone because of the cost of hockey as well as the exclusive environment that hockey fosters.”
The status quo currently in hockey is that there is a stigma surrounding sexuality. Key examples of this were the 2023 boycotts of Pride Nights by several NHL players from different teams. 18% of all players in the PWHL are openly gay or queer, while the NHL is the only major North American sports league to never have an active openly gay player.
“Having people watch the show is a really good thing for the sport,” said Manns. “I think we are still a little wary overall … As a queer person, as a person of colour. I have to wonder what steps the pro hockey leagues are actually taking to help those communities? Because we don’t want to back something that doesn’t support us as a community.”
