Um, the super steamy Heated Rivalry is actually inspired by these real-life hockey stars

Heated Rivalry’s plot feels incredibly real, and if you’re wondering whether the intense hockey romance is based on something that actually happened, it was actually inspired by a real-life hockey rivalry.

Heated Rivalry is adapted from Canadian author Rachel Reid’s novel of the same name, part of her Game Changers series. The show, which was released in the UK this week, follows two top hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, as they go from rivals on the ice to lovers off it. But while that gay romance is a work of fiction, the competitive spirit behind it draws from real-world hockey history.

So what’s the real-life inspiration behind Heated Rivalry?

via HBO

Rachel Reid has been clear that her characters aren’t based on real people. She wrote on her website, “I never directly base my characters on any real people.”

She added that she’s familiar with “the different general types of hockey players. Flashy, cocky players like Ilya Rozanov; stoic leaders like Scott Hunter, etc.”

So, basically, Shane and Ilya aren’t exact copies of actual hockey stars. But one of the inspirations for the show was the famous rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. They are two of the NHL’s biggest names, who went head-to-head on the ice for years.

Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals, first faced off in 2005. They quickly developed one of the most talked-about rivalries in ice hockey. While Reid’s characters aren’t based on them personally, she’s said that the “extremely entertaining rivalry” between those two helped shape the competitive dynamic in Heated Rivalry.

So, who influenced Shane and Ilya’s characters?

Most Read

I’m gagging at how much the PhD student Jade’s vibey cardigan on The Traitors cost

Finally, OnlyFans father and son speak out and share the gritty logistics of their joint venture

Oh no, there’s been a tragic update in Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s relationship

via HBO

In an interview with Canada’s CP24, Reid has also explained that she drew from a mix of real hockey personalities when imagining her characters, and not just Crosby and Ovechkin.

For Ilya, she mentioned being inspired by “flashy European players” such as Jaromír Jágr, Teemu Selänne, and Ilya Kovalchuk. And for Shane, she looked to “more stoic, good boy captains” who were “more role-modely types” like Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, and Paul Kariya.

For more like this – like The Tab on Facebook.