HBO Max Scores Hot Hockey Hit

Sky’s HBO Max service has picked up Heated Rivalry, a Canadian hockey romance that Variety reports has “scored a slew of international sales” ahead of its US premiere.

The “buzzy show” about two rival players who fall in love will stream here from November 30.

It was adapted from Rachel Reid’s book series Game Changers by writer-director-producer Jacob Tierney, whose Letterkenny series premieres next month on the new Sky Comedy channel. Reads the blurb:

Shane and Ilya are two of the biggest stars in major league hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery.

Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love.

A drama set in the world of Canuck hockey may not sound compelling for Kiwis but distributor Sean Cohan of Bell Media says Heated Rivalry’s sales validate the company’s vision to “create exceptional content that travels globally”.