Heated Rivalry has been a book-to-screen smash hit, but the romance’s first season subtly drifted from its source material. The Crave original’s pilot showing was lauded for its stellar adaptation, with audience reactions to Heated Rivalry celebrating the show’s textual accuracy. The palpable chemistry between Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) alone was a perfectly-translated focal point.
Since Heated Rivalry kept much the same from its novel format, the show arguably became even more popular than the Rachel Reid series it was based on. Though the adaptation skyrocketed in popularity as one of the biggest shows on HBO Max, the sports romance nonetheless proved it wasn’t afraid to take bold risks and make changes big and small.
The Name Of Ilya’s Brother
The Rozanov Family Had Scene-Stealing Moments
Ilya Rozanov may be one of the most nuanced characters in the entire Game Changers franchise, but his blood relatives are mainly contained to one book. Though his mother sadly died when he was a child, Ilya still has his ailing father, Grigori (Yaroslav Poverlo), and his money-hungry brother, known as Andrei in the books and Alexei in the show.
Regardless of his name, the role of Ilya’s brother remains the same on the show: at every opportunity, he takes advantage of his younger brother and declines to offer any semblance of support or concern for their father’s declining health. In both the show and novel, Ilya continually tries and fails to talk to his brother about their father’s rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s disease.
Unfortunately, Alexei stands in stark contrast to Ilya. Whereas Ilya cares deeply about the people around him, Alexei adheres to a more toxic masculinity and denies anything is amiss, more focused on when Ilya can send more money for his recreational drugs. As the Rozanov family as a whole quickly learns, however, pride can be a fatal flaw— literally.
Scott Hunter’s Backstory
The New York Admirals Captain Had A Rough Childhood
In the acclaimed hockey romance bookHeated Rivalry is based on, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) is a major player who helps Ilya and Shane gather the courage to confess their true feelings for one another. In the titular first entry of the Game Changers novel series, the reader learns much more about Scott Hunter’s character, including his devastating past.
While Scott loses his mother after being raised in a single-parent household in the novel, the TV adaptation amps up Scott’s childhood trauma by killing off both of his parents in a drunk driving accident. Only time will tell whether changing Scott’s history will have larger implications for his character in Heated Rivalry season 2 and beyond.
Sasha’s Character
Ilya’s Sexuality Is Being Fleshed Out Even More On-Screen
One of the first things Shane learns about Ilya in both the show and novel is that his first sexual encounter with another man was a fling with his coach’s son in Russia. In the book, the boy remains nameless and faceless, a simple plot device meant to illustrate Ilya’s penchant for dangerous and risky relationships.
In the series, however, the coach’s son is made into a minor character named Sasha (Kaden Connors). Additionally, he reappears in Ilya’s life as an adult during the Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Mutual friend Svetlana Vetrova (Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova) reconnects the pair, but Ilya turns down Sasha’s advances.
The queer love story in Heated Rivalry is handled with care and clearly revered by its cast and crew, but creating Sasha’s character out of a fleeting line in the book was a stroke of genius. Though his role was brief, Sasha was physical proof of how much Ilya had changed and grown by episode 2, mainly thanks to Shane.
Svetlana’s Relationship To Ilya
Her Character Has Already Gotten A Noticeable Upgrade
Similar to Sasha, Svetlana was one of Ilya’s casual sexual partners in both the novel and TV adaptation. In Reid’s books, Svetlana inadvertently becomes one of Ilya’s closest friends, but they initially gravitate towards each other thanks to their shared interest: MLH. Svetlana’s father, a former renowned goalie, made her a prodigal daughter of professional ice hockey.
Despite being a fan-favorite character, Svetlana had a surface-level attachment to Ilya in the books, fading from his life completely after he cuts off their friends-with-benefits dynamic and only briefly reappearing in the sequel. Thankfully, the show deepens Svetlana’s character significantly by making her Ilya’s childhood friend and trusted confidant.
The Central Hockey Organization
Heated Rivalry Was Originally Rooted In Realism
Like most books about fictional hockey players, the teams in the Game Changers universe compete in the National Hockey League (NHL), with the protagonists vying for the coveted Stanley Cup each season. Nevertheless, the characters played for fictionalized teams: the Montreal Voyagers and Boston Bears (which the show turned into the Metros and Raiders, respectively).
In the TV adaptation, Shane and Ilya compete in “MLH” (Major League Hockey). Likewise, Ilya brags about winning a nondescript “cup” in his rookie season. Given that the Game Changers franchise frequently puts toxic hockey culture under a microscope, it makes sense for the show to distance itself from the real-life NHL.
Yuna & Ilya’s First Encounter
Shane’s Mother Meets His “Lover” Far Earlier In The Show
In Heated Rivalry’s first episode, Shane and Ilya’s love story begins to unfold year by year, with the two first hooking up in 2010. After filming a commercial together, Ilya agrees to meet Shane at his hotel room. On the elevator ride up, however, he unexpectedly runs into Yuna (Christina Chang), Shane’s mother.
The two have a briefly awkward conversation, but the elevator door closes before Yuna can introduce herself. Nevertheless, the small moment stuck out to fans, as a key point in the novel is Shane wanting but fearing to introduce Ilya to his parents. Knowing Yuna and Ilya technically met years earlier adds an interesting twist to their episode 6 interactions.
Ilya’s Physical Appearance
Connor Storrie Has A Few Notable Differences From The Book Description
Connor Storrie was unequivocal as Ilya Rozanov, with his performance even inspiring petitions to review Heated Rivalry’s Emmy eligibility, but the character looked fairly different in the books. Rachel Reid describes Ilya as hazel-eyed with brown hair and a distinct bear tattoo across his chest. Additionally, he was five inches taller than Shane (6’3” and 5’10”, respectively).
In the show, however, Ilya and Shane are on level footing at equal heights and similar builds, negating the divisive size difference dynamics from the novels. Connor Storrie’s blue eyes are another subtle switch, while debates rage on whether his hair is light brown or dark blonde. Regardless, Storrie brought Ilya to life with his unique look and indomitable performance.
Subtle Timeline Changes
The Series Took Liberties With A Few Major Dates
Unlike most romance shows, the timeline of Heated Rivalry spans nearly a decade, but not every date perfectly aligns with the novel’s order of events. There are some changes that don’t impact the overall plot, like Shane and Ilya strictly texting from 2011-2013, but the biggest timeline change came with Scott and Christopher “Kip” Grady’s (Robbie G.K.) relationship.
In the television adaptation, Scott and Kip meet over three years earlier than in the books. The pair originally crossed paths in January 2017 in Game Changer, but the show reveals Scott and Kip met four months prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics, placing their first encounter around fall 2013.
Scott & Kip’s Accelerated Relationship
The Secondary Romance Moves Even Quicker Than The Book
Furthermore, Scott and Kip’s relationship in Heated Rivalry itself was tweaked. The heart of the story remained the same— a closeted all-star hockey player falls for a history-loving smoothie barista— but the show develops their relationship even faster than the novel.
Even in Game Changer, Scott and Kip were a fast-burn romance, earning a Happily Ever-After in under a year. Yet, they still dated for a month before Kip moved in. Heated Rivalry, conversely, has Scott invite Kip to stay after their first night together, prefaced with a fitting speech about wanting too much, too fast.
Shane’s Night After The Club Scene
Rose Originally Left Alone That Fateful Night
Heated Rivalry fans were crushed when Shane and Ilya’s romance was abruptly derailed in episode 4, wherein the former begins dating actress Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse). After months of no contact, Ilya coincidentally ends up at the same club as Rose and Shane.
Ilya distracts himself by dancing with a stranger, but he meets Shane’s eye while an epically intense rendition of “All the Things She Said” by t.A.T.u. plays overhead. The episode ends with Shane and Rose’s one and only sex scene, but Shane went home alone in the books after sobbing on the side of the road.
