Is it a show about hockey? Is it a show about two gay men? Is it a show that only focuses on sexual intimacy between these two gay men?
The answer to all of these questions is yes–this is a show about hockey, two gay men, and sexual intimacy. It is also a show that embraces love of all forms and highlights the struggles that individuals of the LGBTQ+ community have to face, especially for professional athletes. Despite its two main characters being extremely attractive individuals, and the high amount of ‘spicy scenes’ we have been granted, the depth of this series goes far beyond attractiveness and sexual intimacy.
This series starts off in 2008 with two young hockey prodigies at the beginning of their professional hockey careers. In the professional hockey world during this time, stretching both into modern times and other professional sports, coming out as gay was not an option. There was no representation in the professional sports world, and players who identified as anything other than heterosexual had to hide their real identity. Even though the world was against them, those two young hockey prodigies, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov, could not resist one another–and not just as rivals.
The series stretches over a span of nine years, with Hollander and Rosanov finding their ways back to one another every time they are playing in the same city. Hollander was in Montreal, and Rosanov was in Boston. On the ice, they were arch-rivals, but behind closed doors, they were hooking up. No one in their lives knew about their relationship, and their sexuality was kept a secret. Both of the men had to be seen as heterosexual to the public, and had women in their lives that everyone thought they were dating. These women, who were portrayed beautifully within the series, helped to guide Hollander and Rosanov to one another and realize their true feelings.
For all LGBTQ+ individuals, representation is extremely important in the process of self-acceptance and embracing sexuality. Seeing someone embrace themselves and set the example has a deep impact on those struggling to accept who they truly are. In the series, representation changes everything for our favorite hockey boys. Another player, Shane Hunter, kisses his male partner on live television–the first to ever do it in the series’ universe. We see a change in both Rosanov and Hollander after they view this, as we would never have the iconic line ‘I am coming to the cottage’ without it. In both the TV series’s universe and our own, representation touches the hearts of the LGBTQ+ community.
In between all of the spicy scenes, we see a real love story unfolding before our eyes. Two men who have hidden their identity for years open up to one another and accept who they truly are. It would take hours to truly discuss the love we see portrayed in this TV series, but that goes to show how beautifully written and produced the series was. There are most likely many professional athletes in the world who have had to hide their identities in the closet for years watching the series and feeling both seen and heard. Not only is it about sexual intimacy, but the true love sparked between opposite individuals.
Hockey fan or not, a member of the LGBTQ+ or not, this series is remarkable in a number of ways. It is a raw, genuine love story of two individuals who had the world against their relationship. Nevertheless, they did not allow an unaccepting world to prevent them from accepting both each other and themselves. We have been given the gift of love, in all its magical ways, and the gift of one step closer to a more comfortable world for all LGBTQ+ individuals. Thank you, Shane and Ilya, your story could not be more beautiful and more so what this world needed right now.
