And if the series Heated Rivalry was not as fictitious as we thought? Behind the characters imagined by author Rachel Reid, then brought to the screen by Jacob Tierney, lie very real inspirations, both in the NHL and in… superhero films.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Heated Rivalry. The Canadian series broadcast on Crave is enjoying tremendous success. An adaptation of the novel series Game Changers by Rachel Reid, this first season tells the passionate story between two rival hockey stars, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
Many speculate whether these characters represent real hockey players. According to Rachel, the answer is yes! It was greatly inspired by an iconic rivalry of recent years in the NHL for its main couple.
What few people know is that the other couple in the series, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie GK), are based on iconic superheroes from the Marvel universe. Even Rose Landry, played by Sophie Nélisse, plays a truly beloved actress!
Without further ado, here are the real inspirations behind the characters of Heated Rivalry
Shane Hollander – Sidney Crosby
Rachel Reid explained that although Shane was not a copy of Sidney Crosby, his character drew on the stoic and polite side of the talented captain. Both Canadians (although Hollander is also of Japanese origin on his mother’s side, which is not the case for Crosby), the two hockey players are recognized for their talent on the ice and their professionalism off it, not to mention their cold and monotonous tone in interviews.
Rachel also based herself on other Canadian captains, such as Wayne Gretzky and Paul Kariya. Hudson Williams, who plays the character, also admitted to being inspired by Connor McDavid, the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, another player who represents the archetype.
Additionally, although Hollander plays for Montreal while Crosby plays for Pittsburgh, both were first round draft picks, are captains of their respective teams, represent Canada in the Olympics and have won 3 Cups with their team.
Note that the fact that the captain of the Montreal Canadiens today is Nick Suzuki, a Japanese-Canadian man who will represent his country at the Olympics, is a pure coincidence; Heated Rivalry was released before he made his NHL debut…unless Rachel Reid can predict the future? If so, Canadian fans might have something to celebrate in a few years…
Photo Martin Chevalier
Ilya Rozanov – Alexander Ovechkin
Who says Sidney Crosby, says Alexander Ovechkin. Once again, without making a carbon copy of the star player for the character of Ilya, it was rather the rivalry between Ovechkin and Crosby which was the source of inspiration for Rachel Reid.
Both of Russian origin, Ilya Rozanov and Alexander Ovechkin are two explosive players on the ice, and just as talkative when they speak to the media. Unlike Hollander/Crosby who show restraint in front of the cameras, Rozanov/Ovechkin make jokes, are expressive during games and are known for their flamboyant personality.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal
Both Rozanov and Ovechkin were the first pick in the draft, were part of several All-Stars Games to demonstrate their talent and represented Russia at the Olympics. Although Rozanov plays for Boston and Ovechkin for Washington, both won a Cup with their team.
Rachel Reid was also inspired by several other players whom she describes as “flamboyant Europeans” such as Jaromír Jágr, Teemu Selänne and Ilya Kovalchuk.
Scott Hunter – Capitaine America
Although François Arnaud was reportedly inspired by Austin Matthews, the captain of the Toronto Maples Leafs, to play Scott Hunter, it is surprising to learn that the character is not based on an NHL hockey player at all. The captain of the New York team is more of an alternate version of a hero from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In fact, when Rachel Reid wanted to publish her first story in the series Game Changersthat of Scott and Kip, she turned to the site of fan fiction Archive of our own.
Believing that she absolutely had to write a story featuring fictional characters on this site, she altered her original story and characters so that they seemed to have been inspired by Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, and his best friend Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier. She has since said she regrets this decision since the fan fiction is still available online and she is not proud of the result.
Crave / Disney
Nevertheless, one can see the similarities between Scott and Steve, both men without families, extremely professional and who put the well-being of their team before their own. Needless to say, the similarities between the kind, gentle Kip who works at a smoothie bar and studies arts and Bucky, the soldier turned KGB-controlled killer turned hero, are harder to find.
Rose Landry – Jennifer Lawrence
The character of Rose Landry, played by Sophie Nélisse, is an actress described as a superstar, who is passing through Montreal when she meets Shane Hollander with whom she has a brief relationship.
The inspiration behind this character is none other than actress Jennifer Lawrence. The creator of the series, Jacob Tierney, confirmed this information in an interview. Rose stars in X-Squada fictional version of X-Menthe superhero film series notoriously filmed in Montreal in the 2010s.
If this wasn’t clear enough, we see a moment where Rose is doing her makeup before a scene and she is painted blue, with a red wig hanging on the wall behind her, no doubt evoking the character of Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence in the X-Men.
It just goes to show that sometimes reality and fiction are one and the same!
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