The lead actors from the well-known Canadian hockey series “Heated Rivalry” have been selected as torchbearers for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who portray Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov in the Crave-produced show, will be carrying the Olympic flame in February. Williams hails from Kelowna, B.C., while Storrie is of American descent.
In the series, Hollander and Rozanov are depicted as top-tier hockey players and on-ice rivals who grapple with their emotions for each other away from the rink. “Heated Rivalry” is scheduled to premiere in Italy on Feb. 1 on HBO Max, an official broadcaster of the Milan Cortina Games, while Canadian viewers can catch it on Crave.
With just 16 days remaining until the Olympic opening ceremony on Feb. 6, the torch continues its journey. Following its immense popularity on streaming services in Canada and the U.S., “Heated Rivalry” has already been greenlit for a second season.
The six-part series is an adaptation of the gay hockey romance saga “Game Changers” by Canadian author Rachel Reid. Canadian writer Jacob Tierney penned the screen version for Crave. Tierney, known for his work on “Letterkenny” and as an executive producer on the hockey comedy “Shoresy,” serves as the co-writer, director, and executive producer of “Heated Rivalry.”