Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie in Heated Rivalry

Whether or not you’ve got round to watching it yet, you’ll still probably have Heated Rivalry on your radar thanks to its very public status as 2026’s first palpable TV hit – albeit a surprise one.

The series centres on two male professional ice hockey rivals who start a secret steamy relationship as they simultaneously tussle on the ice to be the best at their sport.

Off the back of the show’s success, an American pro ice hockey player, Jesse Kortuem, has shared a heartfelt statement publicly coming out and crediting Heated Rivalry for “sparking” the desire to tell his story.

In a public post on his Facebook page, Kortuem explained that as a teenager, “the rink did not feel like a place where I could be all of me”.

He explained: “I felt I had to hide parts of myself for far too long. I loved the game, but I lived with a persistent fear. I wondered how I could be gay and still play such a tough and masculine sport.

“To my younger self, that identity could never be revealed. I did not think those two worlds could occupy the same person, let alone the same locker room. Coming out in the 2000s did not feel like an option, especially with........

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