Heated Rivalry – answers and explanations
Here are the answers to all 18 questions in the Heated Rivalry quiz, each with a short explanation. Haven't played yet? Take the quiz first and compare your score.
Play the quiz · 18 questions1. The series is based on a novel by which author?
Answer: Rachel Reid
The hockey romance series adapts Rachel Reid's 2019 novel Heated Rivalry, with Reid attached to the TV adaptation as a consulting producer.
2. Which actor plays Canadian hockey star Shane Hollander?
Answer: Hudson Williams
Canadian actor Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander opposite Connor Storrie's Ilya Rozanov; the breakout role earned Williams a Canadian Screen Award for best leading performance in a drama series.
3. Shane Hollander plays for a team based in which city?
Answer: Montreal
Shane Hollander captains the fictional Montreal Metros of Major League Hockey, while his rival Ilya Rozanov captains the Boston Raiders; Shane himself originally hails from Ottawa.
4. The original novel is the second book in which hockey romance series?
Answer: Game Changers
Heated Rivalry (2019) is the second entry in Rachel Reid's six-book Game Changers series of gay hockey romances, following Game Changer.
5. The TV series premiered in 2025 on which streaming service?
Answer: HBO Max
Created for Canada's Crave by Jacob Tierney, the six-episode series debuted November 28, 2025 on HBO Max in the US and Australia, with weekly episodes through December 26.
6. Who created and wrote the TV series?
Answer: Jacob Tierney
The Crave hockey romance series was created, written and directed by Jacob Tierney, previously known for Letterkenny and Shoresy; he adapted Rachel Reid's Game Changers novels and premiered the show on November 28, 2025.
7. Which novel is the first book in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, before this one?
Answer: Game Changer
Game Changer, published by Carina Press in 2018, opened Rachel Reid's Game Changers hockey romance series and follows Scott Hunter and Kip Grady; Heated Rivalry followed as book two in 2019.
8. Which later Rachel Reid novel returns to Shane and Ilya as its main couple?
Answer: The Long Game
The Long Game, the sixth Game Changers novel published in 2022, picks Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov back up as its central couple, and it is the basis for the TV show's second season.
9. How many episodes make up the first season?
Answer: Six
The first season ran six episodes, beginning with a two-episode premiere on November 28, 2025, and ending with the finale "The Cottage" on December 26, 2025.
10. Shane and Ilya's secret relationship begins during which tournament?
Answer: The World Junior Championship
11. Ilya actor François Arnaud earlier played Cesare Borgia in which historical drama?
Answer: The Borgias
François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter in Heated Rivalry, became known as Cesare Borgia in Neil Jordan's Showtime period drama The Borgias, which ran for three seasons from 2011 to 2013 opposite Jeremy Irons as Pope Alexander VI.
12. Which sport do Shane and Ilya play in Heated Rivalry?
Answer: Ice hockey
Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are rival professional ice hockey stars whose on-ice feud hides a secret relationship.
13. What nationality is Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry?
Answer: Russian
Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie, is a Russian hockey star and the fierce on-ice rival of Canadian Shane Hollander.
14. Shane's on-ice nemesis Ilya Rozanov plays for a team based in which city?
Answer: Boston
Ilya Rozanov captains the Boston Bears (renamed the Boston Raiders in the Crave series), rivals of Shane Hollander's Montreal team, echoing the real Bruins–Canadiens rivalry.
15. Rachel Reid, author of the original novel, is a writer from which country?
Answer: Canada
Rachel Reid is the pen name of Canadian author Rachelle Goguen, born in Halifax in 1980 and based in Nova Scotia, who wrote the Game Changers hockey romance series.
16. What did Crave announce after the hit first season of Heated Rivalry?
Answer: A second season
After the first season's success, Crave renewed Heated Rivalry for a second season, expected in spring 2027.
17. Which actor plays Russian star Ilya Rozanov?
Answer: Connor Storrie
Connor Storrie plays Russian star Ilya Rozanov opposite Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander in the Crave series that premiered on November 28, 2025.
18. How do Shane and Ilya appear to the public for most of the series?
Answer: As bitter on-ice rivals
To the hockey world, Shane and Ilya are bitter rivals; in private, they carry on a secret romance that lasts for years.