Fans Don't Care About the Hockey

Another hockey show adapted from a book series has hit the market.

This May, Off Campus premiered on Prime Video. The show follows four college friends, all hockey players, seeking to find the love of their lives. The reception is pretty good with an average rating of 8.3 stars on IMDb. There’s also plenty of positive comments about it.

But I’m not watching.

To some people, that may be shocking. There’s plenty of romance media I’ve enjoyed – La La Land is easily one of my favorite movies – but Off Campus doesn’t meet the mark for me. That’s also coming from someone who loves to see something with sports. Romance? Sports? The conflicts from that are stellar. However, compared to much of the romance media I’ve consumed, there’s a heavier focus on the more intimate moments.

And I know what people will say when they hear that: “But you liked Heated Rivalry!”

That’s true. I loved Heated Rivalry. I think it’s one of the best shows to come out of 2025, maybe even the past decade. But it wasn’t the explicit scenes, and it wasn't the hockey I stayed for.

What made Heated Rivalry so special was the beautiful portrayal of a queer romance.

The highest rated episodes have the lowest “spice” level. They’re the episodes that explore the intimate emotions between characters, the ones that address heavy themes like coming out – especially coming out in an environment like the NHL.

I have a suspicion that a lot of viewers feel the same, especially if what I see online is anything to go by.

The penultimate episode of Heated Rivalry is “I’ll Believe in Anything” – named after the featured song by Wolf Parade. The episode is one of reckoning for our main characters Shane and Ilya. Shane admits that he’s gay – a massive step for him, and Ilya loses his father – one of the last family members he has left. It’s an episode chalked full of heavy emotions, both positive and negative.

The moment that sparked audiences responses wasn’t between these two though.

As Shane and Ilya try to decide if they’re going to meet up in the summer to follow, the MLH Cup Final is occurring. It is at this game where Scott – a player for the fictional New York Admirals – publicly comes out by kissing his boyfriend Kip on the ice. This public declaration pushes Ilya to call Shane and tell the man they’re spending the summer together.

All the while “I’ll Believe in Anything” is playing in the background as tears stream down my face.

For me, it’s the best moment in the entire show. The fear Scott and Kip feel is palpable. The confusion and then pure euphoria experienced by Shane and Ilya pulses in my veins. Between the sound design, the cinematography, and the writing I can’t help but be completely enthralled by the scene in front of me.

And so full of hope.

Following the release of Heated Rivalry there was such an air of positivity within the world. There was acceptance, pure joy, the kind of emotion people yearn for. The show even inspired former hockey player Jesse Kortuem to come out. In his statement he talks about how the hockey world was one where he was meant to hide, where being gay meant living in fear.

So, Heated Rivalry wasn’t just about the hockey, it wasn’t just the smut, it was about the pride that openly discussing and celebrating queer relationships can bring.

This isn’t a piece to hate on Off Campus, after all the show isn’t trying to be Heated Rivalry. Even though the shows may fall within the same genre, they tackle the genre in vastly different ways.

What this is though is a message to media companies. Viewers care about being seen in the media they consume, whether that be their race or ethnicity, sexuality, gender, ability – we all yearn to be represented. More than that, we want positive representation. It’s easy to slap a label on something, but it’s harder to ensure that the label is placed properly and handled with care. For me, Heated Rivalry did that, especially as I sat in my childhood bedroom, back from college, the lights turned low, forced to hide what I was watching. The show wasn’t just something fun to watch; it wasn't just another romance flick, not for me and others in a similar situation.

Heated Rivalry – especially “I’ll Believe in Anything” – was a reminder that things get better. It was a reminder that I was seen, that there were other people like me out there, that I wasn’t alone.

If someone finds that same feeling in Off Campus, more power to them, but let that message be heard by every media executive and writer out there.

After all, you deserve sunshine.