r/heatedrivalry

I'm curious to know whether you think Shane and Ilya would be considered "franchise players" vs. "generational talents" (let's assume in today's NHL).

My working definitions (both gleaned from this post about the Habs): a "generational player" is someone who so far exceeds what the standard player can do that they only come around once or twice every 10 years, such as Lemieux, Gretzky, McDavid, and potentially now Celebrini. A "franchise" player, on the other hand, would be the top 15 players in the league - still elite, still better than your average all-star player, but not a rare talent that only gets seen once every 10 years.

I've always assumed both Shane and Ilya to be solid franchise players, not to the level of "generational." The odds of both of them being on the level of McDavid, let's say, seem highly unlikely. We also don't get that many stats about either of them (understandable choice from RR, why discuss stats when the reader is there for the love story lol) Then again, I've seen people argue over calling Ovi and Crosby "generational", so now I don't know what I think.

Obviously both labels are entirely subjective and no concrete number of total career games, points, cups, or awards won can define one or the other (r/hockey is full of these arguments) but I'm curious to know you guys' thoughts.

(As for going back to the books for text evidence, I've read both HR and TLG but have also read so much fanfic that I can't remember what's canon anymore ...oops lol.)

Hi! Are any Canadians struggling to find where to pre-order the collector’s edition that was announced yesterday? I feel like I’m going crazy not being able to find a link.

Editing to add that I mean the blu ray/DVDs!

Welcome to the weekly huddle! Have a small thing from the book or show you want to chat, your GC brain rot is real and you saw the initials "KGF" somewhere and immediately screamed "kingfisher!" and want to share with others? (Just me?). Had a win at work or personal life and want to share? Need a teammate to talk with? Post in the weekly huddle.

There's no restrictions on topics so long as they follow the sub rules. Thread will be open all week so pop in whenever with what ever your heart desires.

I was just thinking about the fact that, if im not mistaken (I need to read the long game again), shane and ilya never go on a date together in public after they got "outed" (which is very fair considering they had a looooooooooooot to deal with)

This means their first real date as a couple in public will probably be as husbands in unrivaled 🥹

What do you think they would do? I think they would love to just experience things together that straight couples consider ordinary. Have dinner together at a restaurant. Go to the movies. Walk hand in hand together.

Just thinking about them doing this and not having to hide anymore, makes me emotional lol

I could also envision Ilya dragging Shane to do something crazy, though i cannot envision what hahaha

Rachel has hinted that the obstacles and "villains" of the story will mostly be more....domestic (such as podcasts and the media).

I have a growing bad feeling about Russia though. Sure, Ilya doesn't live there and isn't planning to go back there ever, but they will surely not be pleased one of their star players being in a famously international queer marriage. As someone who is a noob about citizenship/visas, can they potentially do anything about it? He hasn't got his Canadian citizenship yet, and as a Russian citizen isn't he technically breaking some BS law of not promoting LGBTQ+ in the media?

(This is me mainly thinking about how Russia can factor into the story after not even being spared a thought in TLG).

One thing that all this recent hair talk has reminded me of is that hair can have strong narrative importance and be a useful tool when trying to communicate a character to an audience.

Hair is a matter of self expression. It's no coincidence that after major life changes people will often change their hair. How someone's hair is maintained can tell you a lot about them, how they perceive themself and how they want to be perceived by the world, both key aspects to understanding these characters.

It's no secret by now that Shane grows his hair out in the books, but at the same time it's a character detail that still makes a lot of sense contextually for the narrative. Shane is going through a massive personal change between HR and TLG, he is now in a relationship with a man, he has come out to himself and those around him but his relationship is secret. He is losing control over his life, unable to really have a normal public relationship, and his careful curated hockey image is falling apart.

Shane is having to reframe who he is, he is in a relationship with a man who also happens to be interested in women and Shane is in what could be perceived as the more "submissive" role.

So we could interpret Shane's changing hair as an allusion to this change, his shifting sense of masculinity as well as his insecurity. For example, a subconscious insecurity that Ilya could leave him for a woman and be better off. Shane could subconsciously be trying to make himself appear more "feminine" and desirable. Insecurity will tell Shane that he is already not an ideal option for Ilya, that Shane cannot possibly offer the same things that a woman could provide for Ilya, and that Ilya must be attracted to feminine aspects.

Shane could also be trying to take back agency over his life, even in small ways, through his appearance. It may not seem like much to anyone else, but longer hair for Shane could be a wild, uncharacteristic act of rebellion. He is no longer trying to be the perfect image of a hockey star, he is actively sabotage the idea he had of himself and what the world has of him and pushing against the box he now finds himself in.

I would also say that Troy is in a similar situation in some ways, which is why I think that Troy would benefit from a more "conforming" hairstyle at first (although it would be cool if he grows it out later). Troy is trying to hide and conform in the beginning of his career. He is making a persona to present himself as the person who he's expected to be. To me he would have a hairstyle that is unassuming, one that was probably decided for him from a pretty young age by his parents, one that looks good in a portrait on the family wall or in a yearbook. His arc is about him changing for the better, reforming and taking back control over who he really is, so I'm hoping that we don't lose the physical messaging of that in the show.

Am I the only one with strong opinions on subtle character details and how they serve the narrative? For the most part the discussion I've seen has mostly been about what people think is more or less attractive, maybe it doesn't go deeper than that?

So many libraries depend on private funding; donate to your local library today!

* 2026! I really can’t make post titles without copy and pasting apparently!

“What’s so funny about the level of secrecy is like there’s a book — you can just look at it,” creator, writer and director Jacob Tierney said of the Rachel Reid novels, the Game Changers series, the show is adapted from. “It’ll tell you honestly, 90 percent of what you’d like to know is in that book.”

Source: Hollywood Reporter on August 17, 2026

I don't have autism but I have heard some people say that Ilya is a great partner for someone with autism and I was wondering why.

Obviously neither Ilya nor Shane know it.

Can’t watch the whole thing? This hits the feels like an Ilya chest slap of a job well done!

In case any of you are interested in donating to the Annapolis Valley Regional Library like Rachel did, you can either click on this link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/18621 or click on the above link to their library’s website where you can scroll down near the bottom and click on the donate link. 😊

https://valleylibrary.ca

Check out Connor and Hudson's acceptance speech videos 👏👏👏

Ensemble of the Year: Heated Rivalry

Drama Series: Heated Rivalry

Literary Adaptation: Heated Rivalry

Drama Episode: The Cottage

Comedy Guest Actor: Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live

Drama Actor: Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry

Breakthrough Performer of the Year: Hudson Williams

I love Hudson's performance and I love Shane, are we surprised? Nope. 🤩

*edit: I didn't add all the wins!*