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Canadian hockey romance Heated Rivalry has won a prestigious Peabody Award.
The Crave and Bell Media production, distributed by HBO Max in the U.S., became a surprise hit when it debuted in November 2025.
On Thursday, it was named one of 11 winning TV shows in the entertainment field.
In a news release, the Peabody Awards jurors said Heated Rivalry “balances complex themes of sexuality and emotional connection, inspiring fans and promoting non-toxic masculinity, ultimately making what was arguably the biggest cultural impact in television this year.”
The show, created by Montreal director-screenwriter Jacob Tierney and based on a series of novels by Halifax author Rachel Reid, explores a secret gay relationship between fictional pro hockey players Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
Tierney, along with the show’s official instagram account, posted an acknowledgment of the win.
“Every glance, every silence, every line crossed, this story was never simple. Honored to receive a Peabody Award for telling it the way it deserved to be told.”
In response, Reid commented: “So proud of everyone who made this” and added a happy crying emoji.
The Directors Guild of Canada in Ontario also congratulated the team behind the show on Instagram, writing that they “couldn’t be prouder of our Members who worked on the series.”
The winners of the 86th Annual Peabody Awards will be honoured at a ceremony in Los Angeles on May 31.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cbc.ca ’
