Imagine a world where the two best players in the National Hockey League weren’t just rivals, they were also truly, madly, deeply in love with each other. If this seems like an impossible scenario to conjure while thinking about a league that has not had a single openly gay player take the ice in its nearly 108 years in operation, fear not: Halifax author Rachel Reid has done the work of bringing it to life for you. In her novel Heated Rivalry, soon to be a television series on Crave, a Canadian NHL star begins a star-crossed romance with a Russian rival that threatens to change both their lives — and the game — forever. The novel, and Reid’s seven other books, are situated firmly in the genre of hockey romance, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.WATCH | Halifax author imagines a world where gay NHL players thrive in the league:This Halifax author’s popular hockey romance book is being made into a TV seriesRachel Reid is making a splash with her bestselling series of hockey romance novels. Her most popular book, Heated Rivalry, is being made into a television show that premieres in November. But it has one big twist: it’s a romance between two male NHL stars. Andrew Sampson reports.The books are sexy, and often quite explicit, but what makes Reid’s work transgressive is how she writes into existence a world where queer men’s professional hockey players are able to be out and thrive at the game they love, something that is still mostly in the realm of fantasy in real life. “I was just being hopeful,” Reid said this week from her home in Bedford, N.S. “[My first novel] was my own kind of … best case scenario if, like, a player did come out and in a way that he completely owned and it was a joyous moment for him and it was celebrated.” Rachel Reid’s eight novels all focus on romances involving LGBTQ hockey players. (Andrew Sampson/CBC)Reid says she began writing these queer hockey romances as a way to transform her complicated love of hockey into something that challenged the sport’s more problematic elements, including reports of homophobia, racism, and sexual violence. “There’s a lot of times that sport has broken my heart that had nothing to do with what was happening on the ice,” she said. “I think the books are kind of like a little bit therapeutic for me and a way of pushing back a little.” No openly gay players in the NHLAs of 2025, the NHL remains the only major North American men’s sports league that’s never had an openly gay player compete in regular competition.“At the time that I wrote it, I thought, well, surely maybe even before this is published, there’ll be a player that comes out,” said Reid. “But it still hasn’t happened many years later.”Luke Prokop, seen here in a file photo, became the first openly gay player with an active NHL contract in 2021. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)In 2021, Luke Prokop became the first active player under NHL contract to come out as gay, but he’s yet to compete in the league. He currently plays for the Bakersfield Condors in the American Hockey League. Kurt Weaver, executive director of You Can Play, an organization that works with organizations like the NHL to make sports more inclusive for 2SLGBTQ+ athletes, said that progress is happening, even if it isn’t always linear. The NHL faced pushback after it banned all players from wearing themed jerseys in pre-game warm-ups after several players refused to wear Pride jerseys in 2023, but Weaver said the fact that most players supported the program is proof of how far the league has come. “When we got started, zero [NHL] players were wearing Pride jerseys. And even if one wore it, it was the biggest win we could ever imagine in our lives. And now, just 10 to 12 years later, all these players are wearing these jerseys, minus a few who ended up not wearing it,” he said.Queer-friendly hockey groups are growingOver the past number of years, there’s been a grassroots movement in many cities across Canada to create spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ hockey players to learn and return to the game. The Halifax Mussels, a hockey organization for 2SLGBTQ+ people and allies, pose for a photo after a game. (Submitted by Kathleen Higgins)Chuck Dauphinee said he formed the Halifax Mussels, a hockey organization that is open to 2SLGBTQ+ community members and allies, because he wanted to create a space that was more accepting to people on the margins. “It was my first sport, but I got scared out of it at five years old, and it took me a while to get the confidence to reintegrate myself as a player in hockey,” he said. “The Halifax Mussels [give] people, like, an avenue for players to return to the sport. Some had never tried it, but some had, like, kind of got scared out in high school or university, and it basically gave them the courage to get back into it.”Some players with the Mussels are even fans of Reid’s series — eagerly consuming each novel when it comes out. “Something I appreciate about Rachel’s writing is that the queerness and the hockey just exists,” said Kathleen Higgins. Gay readers connecting with booksReid estimates her books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies, a number that’s only poised to grow with the release of the Heated Rivalry TV series. Her fans come from all over the world, and while a big portion of these readers are women, she also regularly gets emails from gay men.“The books really resonated with them and men who played other team sports especially, and also … men who maybe got bullied by hockey players and have been carrying a lot of resentment towards hockey in general for a long time.” As Reid acknowledges, there’s plenty of work to be done to change the game of hockey to make it more inclusive for everyone. But if her novels serve as a gateway to getting people to think more critically about the difficulties that 2SLGBTQ+ athletes might face, that’s a win. “If it stops one person from … thinking that queer men can’t play hockey — because I think a lot of people do think that — that there just aren’t any in hockey because it wouldn’t be possible … I hope that the books help with that, if nothing else.” Fans of Rachel Reid’s novels regularly send her trinkets and homemade art. (Andrew Sampson)In women’s professional sports, though difficulties for 2SLGBTQ+ players have hardly been eliminated, there have been tremendous strides made in recent years. For fans of the PWHL and the WNBA for instance, it’s now a familiar sight to see players who are openly gay and in relationships with a teammate or rival players.In that world, the scenario presented in Heated Rivalry is no longer the stuff of fantasy. WATCH | The trailer for Heated Rivalry:Barring a total statistical anomaly, there have almost surely been gay NHL players who simply haven’t been comfortable – for valid reasons – coming out of the closet. But until one does, the status quo will remain.In the meantime, Reid is looking forward to seeing what happens when the TV series based on Heated Rivalry premieres in November. “I’m glad the story’s reaching a larger audience,” she said. “I think in Canada, especially, it will be hard to ignore this show. It’s going to be talked about, and I’m sure that it’s going to get a lot of pushback too, and I’m fully prepared for any backlash it might get.” MORE TOP STORIES
Two NHL players openly falling in love? In real life, thats a fantasy. Not in this series
