18 h. ago Heated Rivalry books sell out amid Australian fans’ infatuation with gay ice hockey TV show

Wild success of television series drives huge demand for Game Changers novels, with Australian booksellers reporting significant customer ordersA seventh book in Rachel Reid’s gay romance series that inspired the TV drama Heated Rivalry will be out later this year but Australian fans are still struggling to get their hands on a physical copy of any of the preceding six books.Unrivalled, the next instalment in the Canadian author’s Game Changers series, will be released internationally on 29 September, the publisher HarperCollins announced on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Culture

47 h. ago Chaotic mass brawl breaks out during ice hockey game as kids throw punches at each other

A huge brawl broke out during a kids' hockey game at halftime of an AHL game between Hershey Bears and Cleveland Monsters in Pennsylvania on Saturday night in front of thousands of fans

Sport

2 d. ago Heated Rivalry review – these physically perfect people have so much sex it’s tedious

This steamy queer romance between ice hockey rivals is packed with constant shots of muscular bottoms in fancy hotel rooms. But a bit more character development or emotional investment wouldn’t go amissI suspect that Chala Hunter is still on a recuperative retreat somewhere. Until about May, I would think. For she was the intimacy coordinator on Heated Rivalry and she has earned a break.For those not aware: intimacy coordinators gained prominence in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, when assorted testimonies from actors (largely female) made public and unignorable the shocking fact that actors (largely male) and directors (largely male) will often (largely always) try to get away with more than has been contracted for once they are naked with A N Other person. An intimacy coordinator is there to help arrange scenes and advocate for actors. Think of them as somewhere between a bureaucrat and a contraceptive. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Heated Rivalry: this queer Canadian hockey romp is so hot it threatens to scorch the ice it skates on

Ravishing actors, charged glances, buttocks like pneumatic hams this is one steamy love story. But it’s far more than just a porny sport-based bodice-ripperI was surprised to learn that ice hockey romance is a genre, a popular one. Surprising, but it makes sense. Love in a cold setting has a fairytale quality. It’s why the great Russian romances endure, though they aren’t relatable. Most of us don’t sit by windows, waiting for a horse to bring word that our cousin has survived the winter in Smolensk. Perhaps it’s time for a modern Doctor Zhivago? Enter Heated Rivalry (Saturday 10 January, 9pm, Sky Atlantic), a Canadian queer romp so hot it threatens to scorch the ice it skates upon.Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are star players from Montreal and Moscow respectively, mysteriously drawn to each other on the rink, in the full glare of the media. Well, not that mysteriously. The co-leads get down to business almost immediately, with a not-quite meet cute in a shower room. Every episo...

Events

4 d. ago Heated Rivalry on Sky review: This sweaty, steamy gay ice hockey romance scores every goal

This low budget queer sports show has made overnight stars of its leads, and for good reason

Politics

7 d. ago Olympic ice hockey venues may not be finished in time for games

IIHF president says seating at arenas may be reducedNHL concerned about ice quality and dimensionsThe head of the International Ice Hockey Federation said parts of the main hockey rink for the Milan Cortina Olympics might not be fully finished on time, but the playing surface, practice facilities and dressing rooms will be ready when the puck drops for the men’s event on 11 February.“We can be confident on that,” IIHF President Luc Tardif told reporters Monday at the world junior championship. “You’re not going to go to Milano for nothing.” Continue reading...

Sport

7 d. ago Winter Olympic ice hockey venues may not be finished in time for Games

IIHF president says seating at arenas may be reducedNHL concerned about ice quality and dimensionsThe head of the International Ice Hockey Federation said parts of the main hockey rink for the Milan Cortina Olympics might not be fully finished on time, but the playing surface, practice facilities and dressing rooms will be ready when the puck drops for the men’s event on 11 February.“We can be confident on that,” IIHF President Luc Tardif told reporters Monday at the world junior championship. “You’re not going to go to Milano for nothing.” Continue reading...

Sport

7 d. ago Hockey fans throw thousands of teddy bears on to the ice for charity – video

Hockey fans threw thousands of stuffed animals on to the ice for the Hershey Bears annual teddy toss. The stuffed animals collected will now be distributed to over 60 local charities as part of the club’s Hershey Bears Cares program, where they will go to children in need.The Bears collected 81,796 stuffed animals, increasing the total number of teddy bears and stuffed animals collected to 648,246 since Hershey hosted its first Teddy Bear Toss event in 2001. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Moment 80,000 teddy bears are thrown onto ice rink during hockey game

This is the moment more than 80,000 teddy bears were thrown onto an ice rink during a hockey game.

Sport

7 d. ago Wetherspoons fight: Nine men arrested after mass brawl breaks out in busy bar

British Transport Police attended the disorder at the Wetherspoons at London Victoria Station on Saturday, after which several people were arrested suspicion of affray

Events

8 d. ago Mass brawl breaks out in Wetherspoons at train station as punters wallop each other

A chaotic mass brawl erupted at a Wetherspoons pub as stunned passengers looked on while at least eight people exchanged punches and grappled on tables overlooking a busy concourse

Politics

9 d. ago Luke Littler thrashes Gian van Veen to retain PDC World Darts Championship

Teenager beats Dutchman 7-1 in one-sided finalLittler clicks into gear after losing opening setThe winning moment seemed to drain all the strength from his body. He leaned against the drinks table and let it take all his weight, clasped his face in his hands, cried a little. As if only just feeling the shape and hue of the unspeakable thing he had just done. As if some great act of violence had just left his hands. Perhaps it had.And before the double world champion, before the social media phenomenon, before the commercial giant, before the global icon, there was Luke Littler the darts obsessive. A kid steeped and stewed in the heritage of the game, fully aware of the landmarks he is now chasing, the tapestry of greatness into which he is now indelibly woven. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Hollywood star shows up in full referee gear at ice hockey game

A Hollywood star made an appearance at an ice hockey game in Los Angeles dressed in full referee gear.

Culture

1 week ago ‘No one can know’: Heated Rivalry’s gay love story exposes ice hockey’s culture of silence

The surprise hit series has reopened a familiar debate: why, in the National Hockey League, visibility is still treated as a problem rather than a possibilityAt around the midpoint of the first episode of Heated Rivalry, just after Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov – one Canadian, the other Russian, both hockey’s top prospects – have had their first tryst, Hollander sits at the side of his hotel bed and says: “So. You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?” Rozanov, lying naked beside him, replies sarcastically: “Me? Yes, Hollander, I’m going to tell everyone.” Hollander reinforces the point: “Because no one can know,” he says. Rozanov utters something under his breath in Russian, then: “Hollander. Look, I’m not going to tell anyone, OK?” Hollander replies: “OK.”No one can know. If hockey were to have an unofficial slogan, this might be it. Heated Rivalry, the surprise 2025 hit series from Crave and HBO, is layered drama, prompting timely questions about the barriers to acc...

Politics

1 week ago ‘The television event of the decade!’ It’s your top TV of 2025

From the phenomenal Vince Gilligan show Pluribus to horny, life-changing ice-hockey drama Heated Rivalry and much more here are Guardian readers’ shows of the year(Disney+) It’s embarrassing to say about a product released by the Disney Corporation within the Star Wars brand, but it’s by far the most searing and narratively sound portrayal of the creep of totalitarianism I’ve seen on-screen in years. Airtight character work, pitch-perfect action and the ideal moment to tell an inherently political story about the hope of truth and resistance against an endless barrage of falsehoods and atrocities. Eoin, London Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago New vid shows Winter Wonderland chaos as yobs throw punches & revellers hurled to floor in front of screaming families

FOOTAGE has emerged showing the moment chaos erupted at a Christmas attraction with punches thrown and revellers bowled over. The violence broke out at a Winter Wonderland event in the capital with video posted to social media showing a fight between two men over an unknown dispute. Bavarian Village in London's Hyde Park descended into anarchy on Christmas Eve. A...

Events

2 w. ago Mass brawl erupts outside Leicestershire village pub as man hospitalised

Officers were called to reports of approximately 50 people fighting outside the Bird in Hand pub in Leicestershire on Tuesday night - which saw one man taken to hospital

Science

3 w. ago World's hottest ice hockey star unveils 'most requested Christmas present this year'

Mikayla Demaiter, who has been dubbed as the 'world's hottest ice hockey star' gave fans their most requested Christmas present as she left little to the imagination on social media

Politics

3 w. ago BREAKING: Man dies in hospital three weeks after Hackney pub brawl as no arrests made

George Graham was left critically injured following a group fight at The Globe pub in east London in the early hours of November 29

Events

3 w. ago Pittsburgh Steelers star appears to throw punch at fan during game

DK Metclaf had an altercation with a Detroit Lions fans in the stands during the Steelers’ 29-24 win on Sunday

Sport