TL;DR
- NHL’s Heated Rivalry season 2 raises LGBTQ+ issues.
- Commissioner Bettman worried about portrayal.
- Plot involves closeted hockey players.
- NHL’s mixed history with LGBTQ+ support.
- Fans await the season’s premiere.
Hold onto your hockey sticks, folks, because the drama is about to hit the ice! As the second season of Heated Rivalry approaches, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is sweating bullets over a plot twist that could shake the very foundation of the league. With millions of fans eagerly awaiting the premiere next April, the stakes have never been higher for the NHL, especially when it comes to its relationship with the LGBTQ+ community.
The upcoming season is based on the novel The Long Game, which dives deep into the lives of closeted hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander. These two lovebirds are trying to keep their romance under wraps, but when the fictional commissioner Roger Crowell catches wind of their relationship, he’s not exactly the supportive type. In a chilling threat, he warns them, “If you post your own statement and start flaunting your…relationship…then you will obliterate your legacies. You’ll be jokes. Choose carefully.” Talk about a penalty for love!
While Bettman may have binged the first season and called it a “wonderful story,” he’s not thrilled about how his character might be depicted in the second season. NHL Senior Executive Vice President Kim Davis has confirmed that Bettman has expressed his concerns to the show’s producers, insisting that the portrayal of him is not reflective of how he would actually react. “We have work to do in preparation for that,” Davis stated, hinting that the league is already strategizing its response to the potential backlash.
The NHL has had a rocky relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Sure, they launched the You Can Play project to combat homophobia in sports, but they’ve also made headlines for banning Pride tape and mishandling players who wore Pride jerseys. And let’s not forget, while Luke Prokop is out in the AHL, the NHL has yet to welcome an openly gay player into its ranks. With this kind of history, it’s no wonder Bettman is on edge.
As fans gear up for the new season, the question remains: will the NHL embrace the LGBTQ+ themes presented in Heated Rivalry, or will they choose to play it safe and stick to the status quo? With a plot that challenges the league’s traditional values, the pressure is on for Bettman and the NHL to step up and show their true colors.
So, as we count down the days to the season 2 premiere, one thing is for sure: the NHL is in for a wild ride. Will they score a goal for inclusivity, or will they get benched for playing it too safe? Only time will tell, but we’ll be watching closely!