How the LA Kings are tapping into the ‘Heated Rivalry’ frenzy

The impact of HBO Max queer sports romance show Heated Rivalry continues its blaze across pop culture. Last month, the show’s co-stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie were the torchbearers for the Winter Olympics and presented the best supporting actress award at the Golden Globes. Later this month, Storrie is slated to host Saturday Night Live.

The show’s impact has also hit the ice.

In January, the ticketing platform Seatgeek reported a rise in National Hockey League ticket sales that coincided with the release of the show. In that span, the ticketing site saw a 9% increase in single-ticket sales, which the site reports is the highest it's ever been for the NHL. Stubhub, another ticket platform, reported a 40% interest in hockey tickets since the show first aired.

LA Kings keep the hype going

In an attempt to tap into the moment the show is having, LA Kings music director Dieter Ruehle has been playing music from the show live at the games. Fans took to Instagram and TikTok sharing videos of t.A.T.u.'s hit “All the Things She Said” and Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything” at the games. It’s a trend that multiple teams in the league are tapping into, including the Seattle Kraken.

“I've been a hockey fan since I was a kid, and I've noticed the growth of the game,” Ruehle said. “However…in recent times whenever I click on social media, there's posts about, ‘oh, we're going to our first hockey game.’ And I think that's so awesome.”

Ruehle says he finds “tremendous joy” in seeing the crowd’s reaction when he plays the songs at the games.

"I'm glad that the show is bringing that to hockey,” he says. “It's pretty phenomenal quite frankly, and I'm just glad to be part of it when I [play] some of the songs from the show."

The show’s creators, Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, also collaborated with the Kings in a video where they were live mic’d for two periods of a January 16th game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Since the show came out, Kings senior manager of social content Alec Palmer says there’s been an uptick in influencers coming to the Kings games.

“The fact this [show] was about hockey or set in this hockey world was like the greatest gift to hockey,” Palmer says. “It has gotten so many people exposed to the sport.”

An icy environment that still needs thawing

The impact of the show is also felt through people who play the sport.

Since the show’s release, former hockey player Jesse Kortuem publicly came out and, in part, credited Heated Rivalry for his decision. Kortuem played in the Cutting Edges, an LGBTQ+ hockey association in Vancouver.

“I loved the game, but I lived with a persistent fear,” Kortuem wrote in a Facebook post. “I wondered how I could be gay and still play such a tough and masculine sport.”

Fans have long criticized the sport for not being a safe space for queer folks. In 2023, the NHL created controversy with their decision to ban rainbow-colored “pride tape” on the rink and a separate ban on Pride-themed jerseys during warmups.

“ I think this show has really brought all of those things back up to light and forced people to look in the mirror and have those conversations,” Palmer said, speaking in a personal capacity.

Palmer says the real work comes with engaging with the community through workshops with coaches on inclusive language, hosting community pride nights and supporting LGBTQ+ friendly teams like the Los Angeles Blades.

“ That's where you're making that impact in real life,” he says, “and how we're setting the next generation up to be successful.”