‘Heated Rivalry’: First Look At Crave’s Steamy Canadian Ice Hockey Drama; Launch Date Set

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at Heated Rivalry, Crave‘s steamy TV drama series. We can also reveal the series will launch in Canada in November.

Heated Rivalry follows a pair of leading Major League Hockey players who harbor a secret: Away from their rivalry on the ice, they are secretly lovers who initially hide their confusing and complicated relationship from the world.

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie star as the serious-minded Canadian captain of the Montreal Meteors, and Russian star and playboy Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Raiders, respectively. In the image above, we see them catching a secret moment together. Below, it’s them with their sporting hats on, fending questions at a press conference.

François Arnaud, Robbie GK, Sophie Nélisse, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Dylan Walsh and Christina Chang also star.

The show comes from Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady from Accent Aigu Entertainment, who have adapted author Rachel Reid’s novels charting the love affair. “Their connection feels so real, as Rachel allowed for this complicated dynamic that grows over seven years,” Tierney told Deadline in an exclusive interview.

Tierney and Brady are among the hottest producers in Canadian TV right now, coming off Letterkenny and Shoresy. They optioned the book before writing a pilot on spec and selling the idea to Crave.

Bell Media streamer commissioned the series earlier this year, with Bell’s General Manager of Original Programming Carlyn Klebuc saying it was “going to be buzzy,” and the Canadian giant’s VP of Content Development & Programming, Justin Stockman, adding it was “a very big swing.” Sphere Abacus, the Bell-owned sales house, is shopping the series at MIPCOM Cannes next month.