There is not much that can stop a dedicated fandom.
Not paywalls, not cancellations, and certainly not even the source of their fan fervor itself, as was the case in several high profile instances of extreme parasocial behavior. And as queer hockey romance Heated Rivalry has dominated social feeds, it has once again proved that federal laws are not going to dissuade a fan from their idols of worship.
Fans of the show living in Russia, for example, have risked jail time in order to engage with the viral phenomenon, writes Russian reporter Mikhail Zygar for Vanity Fair (the show chronicles the same-sex love affair between a Russian hockey player and his Canadian rival). Fans have flooded dedicated Telegram channels to share encrypted links and bumped up its ratings to the top spot on Kinopoisk, a Russian media review site. They're leaning on VPNs to obscure their IP addresses and engaging in online piracy. You wouldn't steal an enemies-to-lovers romance, would you?
Despite the collective joy attached to the series, the stakes are serious. The Russian Federation has some of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ laws on record, including an outright ban on LGBTQ content. Russian leaders have attacked and censored what they call the "International Public LGBT Movement," convicting more than 100 individuals for the crime in 2025 and imprisoning at least two. Violators can also face fines of 400,000 rubles ($5,111) to 5 million rubles ($63,898), PinkNews reported.
As of today (Jan. 15), the government has officially charged Russian streaming services with the crime of violating the country's propaganda laws, which prohibit the amplification of "nontraditional sexual relationships" to Russian citizens. The charges target domestic sites and cloud sharing services like Beeline TV, Kinopoisk, Wink, Ivi, Amediteka, 24TV, and Digital Television.
The determination of Russian fans to stream the hot new show mirrors a general trend in online fandom and among Heated Rivalry fans, specifically, who initially shared ways to torrent the series using VPN services and links pulled from its parent network, Crave Canada, and licensing network HBO Max US. HBO Max reportedly only signed on to the project after successful pitches from employees who were fans of the show's book series. They said they felt they needed to "do their civic duty" and get the show to the masses.
The success of Heated Rivalry — and the formidable sports romance book industry from which its source material gained its following — lies partially in the compelling, often erotic, juxtaposition of an extremely masculine sport and the emotional stakes taken on by its characters. At large, cisgender male erotic fiction (also called slash fic, MLM romance, boylove, or yaoi, for anime lovers and the chronically online) has historically offered an outlet for sexual exploration, community, and LGBTQ acceptance. Fandom scholars and Heated Rivalry show runner Jacob Tierney have explained its popularity with cis women is due in part to the ability of writers to ignore the gendered power dynamics of heterosexual pairings and lean into the rarity of sexual partners being on equal footing — although much of the genre relies on stereotypical tropes that critics say still feeds into gender and racial binaries.
Hockey, in particular, is one of the most popular sports depicted in the genre. As of 2025, the National Hockey League has had no active, out LGBTQ players. So subverting that reality is particularly appealing to fans, especially those in restrictive, patriarchal environments.
One former hockey player, Jesse Kortuem, made headlines just this week, posting a statement about feeling empowered to come out after seeing the success of Heated Rivalry. Kortuem didn't compete for the NHL but told reporters that the homophobia rampant in the sport eventually led him to retire. "I know many closeted and gay men in the hockey world are being hit hard by Heated Rivalry's success," Kortuem told Out. "Never in my life did I think something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport."
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