It is wild to watch Heated Rivalry go from a niche M/M romance novel to a mainstream cultural phenomenon. Selling out bookstores in Australia and crashing pre-order sites?. This proves that people are starving for queer joy in sports stories. It’s not a 'tragedy' or a 'lesson'; it’s just two hockey players falling in love and being messy. The show's success has completely validated the romance genre. Keep gatekeeping if you want, but the numbers don't lie. This is the Bridgerton of hockey.