LISTEN | Ex-hockey players Matt Kenny and Brock McGillis discuss their experience watching the popular series, Heated Rivalry:
Upon his first viewing of the acclaimed TV series, Heated Rivalry, Matt Kenny endured a five-day bout of panic attacks.
Having played competitive hockey in his youth in Ontario, Kenny, a closeted gay adolescent at the time, felt unsafe and eventually walked away from the sport due to the challenges he faced. Those emotions resurfaced as he witnessed the TV drama depicting the love story of two gay hockey players.
Reflecting on his experience, Kenny shared with The Current‘s Matt Galloway, “It was this heavy feeling that hung over everything, which was, you know, the fear, the joy, the secrecy of love that was never supposed to exist in daylight and, you know, internal homophobia and shame — shame that players like me wore like a second skin.”
Heated Rivalry is a popular Canadian TV series that narrates the romantic tale of two professional hockey players on rival teams. This TV adaptation of a novel by Canadian author Rachel Reid has garnered significant success for Crave, with the show’s premiere being the most successful among its original series so far.
The show’s intimate love scenes and unapologetic romantic essence have sparked conversations, like those from Kenny, about the realities faced by gay men in competitive hockey and the hope that the fear and anguish they endured will become a thing of the past.
Hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams, left) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are pitted against each other on the ice but have a secret relationship outside the rink in Heated Rivalry. (Bell Media)
During his childhood, Kenny dedicated four to six days a week to playing hockey, even traveling long distances for games. However, in his late teens, he made the decision to step away from the sport.
Expressing his sentiments, Kenny admitted, “It just kind of felt like I was giving everything to this sport, and deep down inside, I just knew that this sport I loved probably wasn’t able to love me back.”
His initial viewing of Heated Rivalry on Christmas Eve prompted him to share about the show and his own concealed teenage relationship with a fellow hockey player on Instagram four days later.
Despite initial apprehension, Kenny was surprised by the overwhelming positive feedback he received.
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