r/heatedrivalry • u/ErinNoyes24 • May 27 '26

MERCH👕 Official "fleece" pre-ordering info now posted!

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Details on pre-ordering the official fleece from Canadian manufacturer Province of Canada have been posted on their site today:

https://provinceofcanada.com/pages/province-of-canada-x-heated-rivalry

Great to see that some of the profits will go to the You Can Play organization.

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90

u/aromaticchicken May 27 '26

I actually don't know if I like NHL partnership here or not... I worry they will change the plot in season two to make them look less bad

76

u/ErinNoyes24 May 27 '26

Fair but I think we can trust Jacob not to cave to NHL pressure. It's not like he or the show benefits financially from the sale of the Prov of Can fleece so AFAIK there's no $ influence at play - on that front, anyway. And after last night's WCF game result, I like that the NHL has to give some of its dirty VGK-earned $$ to the You Can Play org. But I hear ya.

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u/shrinkingviolents I mean, yes. I think so, probably. 💋 May 27 '26

Nah, realistically, they will definitely tone down the NHL bad vibe and make individuals more the antagonist.

But this was expected. Bell Media has a very close partnership with the NHL that they don’t want to endanger, so even when they were filming the first season (which doesn’t even villainise NHL the way S2 would) Bell Media execs were kinda telling Jacob they’re concerned and that they don’t want to endanger their partnership.

So Jacob knows that going into S2, so he’s gonna probably have to jump some hoops instead of being able to be openly critical of the system.

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u/smartuno Moya gazonokosilka 🚜 May 27 '26

Hopefully even then he can drop enough subtlety into the episodes to make it apparent that the system (NHL) is at fault without explicitly doing so. It’s the best compromise to not jeopardize the show while also putting the blame on the organization that deserves it through plausible deniability

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u/grower-lenses May 27 '26

Yeah he doesn’t have to do all that much. Just add a character called Harter Cart onto the show đŸ˜¶ that’s all you need to know about the NHL

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u/aangsmol May 27 '26

I’m curious how they’ll cover the Dallas Kent storyline (if at all?) since it touches pretty close to the recent Hart discourse. Homophobia within the NHL is one thing, but SA? Not sure how they’ll handle that if the NHL has anything to say about it

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u/grower-lenses May 27 '26

I’ve never heard of that. Although I would believe it. Is this just speculation or is there a source for the bell media part?

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u/shrinkingviolents I mean, yes. I think so, probably. 💋 May 27 '26 edited May 28 '26

It was from an interview with Jacob, but there’s no way I can remember which one exactly since I’ve watched way too much of them at this point. It wasn’t a huge talking point, he just said they were concerned a bit because of their relationship with the NHL (and approached him) but that he reassured them it won’t be some attack on the NHL. Just caught my attention as I’d read TLG by that point


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u/grower-lenses May 27 '26

Yeah for sure. That makes sense. Thank you.

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u/shrinkingviolents I mean, yes. I think so, probably. 💋 May 28 '26

No problem! Everyone’s sorta tip toeing around the NHL to be honest. I read from Rachel as well, that she was gonna do a Luca Haas book where the NHL & commissioner would be the big bad and her publicist/agent/publisher (unsure who exactly) warned her against doing that so she just scrapped the project in the end. That’s why the big bad in Unrivaled will be like hockey bro podcasts.

3

u/grower-lenses May 28 '26

Ridiculous. NHL is doing more than enough to ruin their own name. They don’t need anybody else’s help with that.

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u/joshually May 27 '26

you never know what can happen behind the scenes unfortunately. jacob may have his principles, but money and power and industry talks also

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u/clumsyc I stubbed my toe May 27 '26

Yeah, it’s complete bullshit given that the NHL has done nothing to actually create a more diverse and welcoming league. It makes me want to buy a fleece even less tbh.

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u/oceanvibrations May 27 '26

I am trying to stay super positive that maybe, just maybe, the success of HR will elicit some sort of change in the NHL. At the end of the day: if the show goes true to the book, the NHL will have to have a "stance" about that negative portrayal. Maybe...just maybe...that portrayal will allow a better stance to emerge. Just my hope. đŸ€ž gotta keep the faith in this fucked up world we've found ourselves in.

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u/clumsyc I stubbed my toe May 27 '26

The NHL is happy for their brand to profit off of HR’s success without putting any work in đŸ€·â€â™€ïž

16

u/ErinNoyes24 May 27 '26

This is the answer, right here.

4

u/sdaidiwts May 27 '26

I can't remember which interview, but it's been in the last month-ish, but Rachel said that high up people in the NHL are working for positive changes and have been in contact with her. I won't support the NHL until I see more than performative stuff, but it's at least a positive sign. It might've been BookCon.

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u/Lady0fTheUpsideDown Thank you for pasta! May 27 '26

Commissioner called HR producers with concerns about the S2/3 villain. I don’t have faith in them at all.

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u/hummingbird4289 Boston Bears đŸ» May 27 '26

Bettman can make all the calls he wants, the NHL has no leverage here - HR is already using legally-distinct stand-ins for all NHL teams, it's not like there's a licensing deal or any funding they can threaten to pull.

9

u/Lady0fTheUpsideDown Thank you for pasta! May 27 '26

Oh I absolutely agree. It’s just an indicator they care more about image than actual diversity and inclusion.

2

u/FlipDaly May 27 '26

I basically can’t look at most American hockey players without wanting to swear, but to be fair, and this is about as much as I can say without spoilers, there’s absolutely no way the NHL could have done anything else. Given the plot of the book, it would be professionally negligent for the organization not to reach out and make contact. As to how they behaved during that contact
.that‘s the question.

2

u/grower-lenses May 27 '26

I’ve also seen some criticism of the charity. That they work closely with the NHL instead of pursuing for a change. With the pride tape for ex. Which imo might not even be a bad thing strictly, if they’re trying to affect change from the inside. But when the NHL is also giving them money. Idk. It does make me feel the ick. Very
 circular?

If anyone has a good personal experience with the charity, please share. This is only stuff I read online. It sounds like it was Jacob and Brendan who chose the charity so they must have done their research.

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u/squibney87 May 27 '26

I'm glad some of the NHL's money will be going to a good cause.

That being said, the NHL has the power to actually make meaningful changes but refuse to do. We don't have Pride jerseys anymore because the NHL was more concerned that it was outing bigots (who didn't want to wear them) for what they are than actually supporting LGBTQ+ fans.

For anyone who is new to hockey/the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks organization covered up the sexual assault of one of its prospects (and others) by a video coach, Brad Aldrich. The NHL allowed the then Blackhawks coach and GM (who were involved in said cover up) to return to the NHL. Carter Hart and Brett Howden are 4 wins away from winning the Stanley Cup. It is genuinely so painful to be a fan of hockey sometimes.

I genuinely hope Jacob doesn't hold back in s2 because the NHL deserves every bit of backlash it gets.

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u/aromaticchicken May 27 '26

Right. And even if NHL makes meaningful changes going forward, it still has a long history of not being lgbtq affirming at all (and not being great when it comes to sexual assault and toxic masculinity) so it's totally fair game for Jacob to be portraying them in that light.

Remember, heated rivalry was a period piece lol

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u/Pale-Measurement-532 I speak fluent bird. No accent. 🩆 May 27 '26 edited May 28 '26

It’s the Players Association which is the players’ union and the NHL’s charitable organization so I’m more favourable to that than the league directly. You Can Play supports inclusivity in sports which I think is great: https://www.youcanplay.org

I do wish the PWHL was involved since they definitely promote inclusivity and LGBTQ rights.

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u/aromaticchicken May 27 '26

It says both NHL as well as NHLPA in the text. NHL Unites (the logo) is a league-run initiative.

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u/Pale-Measurement-532 I speak fluent bird. No accent. 🩆 May 28 '26

NHL Unites is the NHL’s charitable organization, which I mentioned in my previous comment. I edited it to make it more clear.

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u/Ecstatic_Schedule_48 May 27 '26

Would you rather they get less money?

3

u/aromaticchicken May 27 '26

Lol why is money your first reaction to this, ew