‘Heated Rivalry’ Has Given the NHL a Test

Among the four major North American men’s sports leagues, the National Hockey League is the only one that has never had an openly gay player, active or retired. And, as anyone who has spent time around hockey knows, casual homophobia has long been and remains a part of rink and locker room culture. So, it isn’t hyperbolic to say that the NHL has been caught flat-footed by the enthusiastic attention it has gotten because of Heated Rivalry. The viral HBO Max series about a secret romance between gay players led to a 40% increase in interest in hockey tickets, according to a post on X from StubHub.