TL;DR

• Heated Rivalry stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie selected as Olympic torchbearers.
• The HBO Max queer hockey drama has become a breakout hit.
• Torch run will happen before the Feb. 6 Milan Cortina Olympics.
• The series’ LGBTQ themes have resonated with audiences and elevated the actors’ profiles.
• Their selection highlights rising queer visibility in global sports culture.

‘Heated Rivalry’ Actors to Carry Olympic Torch as Queer Hockey Drama Soars

From Secret Lovers On Ice to Olympic Spotlight

The breakout stars of HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry—Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie—are taking their sizzling on-screen chemistry all the way to the global stage. The duo, who play closeted hockey icons locked in a secret romance, have been tapped as official torchbearers for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Yes, honey—the boys are taking their love of the game and queer representation straight to the world’s biggest sporting event.

HBO Max confirmed the news in a statement announcing the actors’ inclusion in the iconic Olympic torch relay. Williams and Storrie portray Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose rivalry-turned-romance has captivated audiences far beyond its niche beginnings. The series, adapted from Rachel Reid’s hockey romance novels, has unexpectedly become one of the most talked-about shows of the 2025–26 season.

A Series That Went From Underdog to International Sensation

When Storrie told the TODAY show last week he “did not know it was going to be HBO,” he wasn’t kidding. What began as a modest Canadian drama exploded the moment HBO Max acquired U.S. rights, shooting both actors into stardom faster than a breakaway slapshot.

The network avoided revealing exactly when or where the duo will carry the torch, though the relay is currently moving through northern Italy, with stops in Trieste and Udine. All we know is it’ll happen sometime before the opening ceremony on February 6—which, fittingly, precedes the first puck drops of the Olympic hockey tournaments.

In the show’s own alternate timeline, Latvia memorably upsets Rozanov’s Team Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, a nod to the country’s scrappy, overachieving real-world hockey heritage. It’s the kind of detail that’s made fans feel seen—especially LGBTQ viewers who’ve long been starved for sports narratives where queer characters aren’t sidelined or sanitized.

Queer Representation Takes Center Ice

This torchbearing honor is more than a PR victory for a hit series—it’s a major cultural milestone. For decades, professional hockey has been viewed as one of the least LGBTQ-friendly global sports. The image of two actors embodying a queer hockey romance—carrying the literal flame of an international athletic tradition—reflects just how far visibility has come.

The impact isn’t abstract. Fans have repeatedly credited the show with helping them come out, feel accepted, or understand they too belong in athletics. Bringing queer representation into the Olympic spotlight signals that LGBTQ athletes, even in historically conservative sports, deserve to exist openly and triumphantly.

A Win for the Show—and the Community

Williams and Storrie may be playing fictional pros, but their torch run is a very real acknowledgment of how queer storytelling is reshaping the cultural landscape. It’s a reminder that LGBTQ athletes and fans aren’t just part of the sporting world—they’re shaping it.

From locker rooms to living rooms to the Olympic track, Heated Rivalry isn’t just a TV hit. It’s a flame lighting the way for a more inclusive future—and this time, the whole world gets to watch.