“Heated Rivalry” has catapulted hockey into popular culture on levels rarely seen outside of Canada. The steamy romance show, centered around two male hockey players, was recently renewed for a second season, has seen its lead actors appear at the Golden Globes and has been playfully spoofed by “Saturday Night Live.”
Even NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently revealed he binged the entire series in one night and said that the show’s acclaim is helping to drive fans to the sport.
However, the popularity of “Heated Rivalry” has also resurfaced criticism about whether or not the NHL and its franchises do enough to support the LGBTQ+ community. One of the show’s actors,…