Channel Daddy Nine has officially entered its Heated Rivalry era and I, for one, feel personally seen.
During its Winter Olympics ice hockey coverage, Nine, which owns this masthead, cut together a thirsty little highlights package set to the “All the Things She Said” remix that’s become synonymous with Heated Rivalry edits, then literally ended it with a giant “HEATED RIVALRY” banner on screen. Subtlety? Never heard of her.
After a fellow Hollanov comrade posted the segment on TikTok, the comments section rightfully went off.
One viewer wrote, “Is there a cottage in Australia we can all go?”, which, if you’ve watched the show or even just scrolled the edits, you know this is an important question.
Another person simply said, “We’re so unserious”, which feels like both a read and a compliment.
Others were having a full sporting awakening: “Should I start watching hockey?”, one user asked, while another admitted, “My husband was watching the Olympics. I was in another room when this came on. I never moved so quick.”
And honestly, it tracks. Heated Rivalry, the gay hockey romance series where Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) maintain a secret, long-term relationship while playing for rival teams, has already been credited with dragging a whole new audience into hockey.
Weekly NHL ticket sales jumped by more than 20 per cent after the show debuted in late November, according to data from SeatGeek, which said “the timing is hard to ignore”.
Players have noticed too, US defenceman Zach Werenski said “everyone is saying how great it is”, calling it “definitely good for the sport of hockey” and for conversations about inclusivity. Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s secretary of state for sport, went further, saying, “Hockey is for everyone and Heated Rivalry makes it clear”.
After we saw Williams and Storrie carrying the Olympic flame during the torch relay of Milano Cortina 2026, the obsession has fully leaked into the Olympic village. Canadian athletes have reportedly been naming their complimentary potted plants Shane and Ilya, and one skier even declared the team’s moose mascot is now called Shane.
Even real players are finding the courage to come out. Canadian hockey player Jesse Kortuem explicitly credited Heated Rivalry in his Instagram statement, writing, “Something has sparked in me (OK — yes credit to #HeatedRivalry).”
The impact is clear even on a local level with founder of Melbourne’s LGBTQIA+ Ice Hockey Club, Southern Lights, Kade Matthews, explaining why the show matters. “We watch shows like Heated Rivalry because we are starving for that representation in sport,” says Matthews.
So when Nine leans right into the gay hockey zeitgeist with a sapphic remix, it’s not just a cheeky promo. It’s Aussie free‑to‑air TV clocking that the girls, gays and theys are actually the ones moving the needle on what sports we care about.
It’s a network quietly admitting that a queer hockey romance has as much cultural pull as any “classic rivalry” package they’ve rolled out for decades. So run that tape again!!!
Watch the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now, or catch every second on Stan Sport.
Lead image: @itsmaddyrowe / TikTok
The post Channel Nine Dropped A Thirsty Heated Rivalry-Inspired Olympics Montage & It’s Genius appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
