Heated Rivalry

Before a Boston game, Shane sneaks out of his hotel and goes to Ilya’s place. Shane plans to talk and try to end their relationship, but he falls back into it immediately. Afterward, they stay in bed, kiss, and talk more than usual. Ilya asks Shane to stay the night, and Shane agrees even though he is scared.

Ilya surprises Shane with ginger ale and food. Shane realizes Ilya learned his habits, and he knows Ilya’s. They talk about their dating history. Shane admits he struggles in his relationships with women. A call from Ilya’s father interrupts the moment.

After the call, they get more intimate, and Ilya uses Shane’s first name. Shane answers with Ilya’s. The intimacy overwhelms Shane. He panics, leaves quickly, and takes the stairs to escape.

Shane attends an after-hours party in Montreal with his teammate J. J. Boiziau. He meets actress Rose Landry. Rose feels easy to talk to, and Shane leaves feeling hopeful because he truly likes a woman.

Weeks later, Ilya sees headlines and photos that link Shane and Rose. More stories follow, and the attention irritates him more than he wants to admit. He tells himself it means nothing.

Rose invites Shane to the club. Shane dislikes clubs, but he goes anyway and tries to act normal among Rose’s friends. That same night, Ilya ends up at the same club and spots Shane with Rose. Ilya reacts by dancing with another woman and making sure Shane sees him. Shane watches, spirals, and leaves before Ilya can reach him.

Ilya leaves shortly after. He cannot sleep and thinks about Shane.

Shane enjoys spending time with Rose, and they see each other frequently. However, the romantic and sexual side never clicks. During a private dinner, Rose gently confronts Shane. She asks whether Shane is attracted to her, and she suggests he might prefer men. Shane admits he has been with a man before and that it felt better for him. Rose helps him name the problem and stop forcing the relationship. They decide to stay friends, and Shane leaves feeling relieved.

In Boston, Ilya spends time with Svetlana, a casual, hockey-loving partner. She praises Shane as she teases Ilya about the All-Star Game. Ilya acts annoyed, but her comments land. He realizes no one affects him like Shane. He cannot stop picturing Shane with Rose, and for the first time, he dreads the All-Star weekend instead of looking forward to it.

All-Star weekend in Tampa Bay rattles Shane. He realizes he is attracted to men and wants a relationship with Ilya. For the first time, Shane and Ilya land on the same All-Star team, and the media obsesses over their “rivalry.”

Ilya arrives tense after months of little contact. Jealousy spikes when Ilya sees Shane looking confident and polished. Their conversation starts stiffly, but softens when Shane admits he is no longer seeing Rose.

Over the weekend, Shane watches Ilya joke with kids by the pool, and Ilya uses roughhousing to touch Shane in public. On the ice, they click immediately, passing like they share one brain. After a goal, Ilya kisses Shane’s cheek in celebration and disguises it as teasing.

Later, Shane walks alone on the beach to calm down. Ilya finds him, links their hands in the dark, and gives Shane his room number when Shane asks for a private talk.

Ilya waits in his hotel room, unsure whether Shane wants sex, a breakup, or something worse: Honesty. Shane arrives and forces the issue. He says their last time together felt different, and he demands that Ilya admit it. Then, Shane blurts out that he thinks he is gay.

Ilya tries to protect himself with jokes and distance, but the conversation cracks open. Shane explains that the hardest part is not being gay, but wanting a relationship with Ilya, his rival. Ilya admits the last encounter was different for him, too. However, he insists they cannot become “more” because if he lived openly, he could not safely return to Russia. He reveals his family situation, including his father’s strict beliefs, his mother’s death, and his father’s Alzheimer’s disease.

The weight turns into tenderness. They kiss, cuddle, and talk. Shane offers support, and Ilya thanks him. Shane leaves because the risk scares him, but they part using their first names.

Shane and Ilya start texting regularly, though still under their code names. They trade gossip and jokes.

In Boston, Ilya texts Shane while he rests from an elbow injury, but he does not admit he got hurt. He imagines Shane’s private life and grows more obsessed. He tells himself he needs more time with Shane so he can get Shane out of his system.

By March, the season tightens, and Boston and Montreal fight for the top spot. Shane expects their usual distance rule before the playoffs. Instead, Ilya invites Shane over on game day. Shane refuses, then goes anyway. They steal an hour together.

Afterward, they talk, and Ilya admits his father is declining and his family keeps demanding money. Shane offers support and tells Ilya he can call for any reason.

That night, Boston wins. Ilya plans to meet Shane again, but his brother calls. Ilya realizes that he would only call for one reason: Grigori’s death. Shane waits for Ilya’s message, gets nothing, and lies awake worried.

Shane hears teammates say Ilya did not travel with Boston to Nashville. The media reports only “undisclosed reasons,” which scares Shane. Shane texts Ilya, gets no reply, and plays badly because of his worry. After the game, Shane calls Ilya.

Ilya answers, explaining that he flew to Moscow because his father died. Ilya sounds stiff and exhausted. Shane offers condolences and urges Ilya to take time. However, Ilya insists on returning soon. Before the call ends, Shane asks Ilya to reach out if he needs to talk. Ilya admits Shane helped.

Two days later, Ilya calls Shane after Shane’s game in Buffalo. Ilya struggles with English, so Shane invites him to speak Russian and unload everything. Ilya does, and the release changes their bond. Their talk slips into flirting, and they admit they wish they were together.

After the funeral, Shane calls again. Ilya asks about Shane’s home and bedroom. Ilya jokes about marriage for citizenship, then admits he does not love the woman he mentions. Shane impulsively invites Ilya to his cottage in Ontario. Ilya does not say no.

On his final night in Moscow, Ilya prepares to fly back to Boston and feels finished with Russia. He gives his Moscow condo to his brother, not caring what happens to it. Alone, he asks Shane to video call.

The call starts playfully. Ilya teases Shane about his glasses and pushes Shane to show his bedroom. Their conversation turns intimate. They trade compliments. Shane admits that other experiences with men never felt right because they were not Ilya. They talk about early memories, rivalry, and desire, and they admit how often they think about each other.

After the call ends, Ilya faces the truth: He loves Shane. Their relationship could damage both their careers. Ilya decides to end the relationship, though the decision hurts.

Montreal and Boston meet for the final regular-season game. During warm-ups, Shane sees Ilya drift onto the centerline. Shane skates over, and they speak carefully, faking animosity. They confirm plans to meet after the game and promise to talk later. Shane senses Ilya’s tension but cannot ask about it.

Shane and Ilya compete happily until Shane collides hard with Cliff Marlow and drops motionless on the ice. Shane wakes in fragments, terrified. He hears Ilya’s voice shaking as he asks if Shane is okay. Medical staff strap Shane to a board and rush him out. Shane fears paralysis, worries about his parents, and wonders if he will miss the playoffs.

Ilya cannot sleep and visits the hospital the next morning under the excuse of the captain’s responsibility. Shane has a concussion and a fractured collarbone, which ends his playoffs, but not his career. Alone together, Shane admits he wanted to talk before the injury. Shane asks again about the cottage. Ilya answers with a “maybe,” then leaves when a nurse enters.

Shane recovers at his parents’ house in Ottawa and watches the playoffs. His mother, Yuna, spots Ilya protecting his injured ribs, and Shane silently agrees. Montreal’s early loss hits Shane hard because his injury kept him from helping. He remembers Ilya’s hospital visit in flashes and realizes he loves Ilya. Still, he cannot bring himself to come out to his parents, even when his mother asks about Rose.

Shane texts Rose instead and jokes about “coming out.” Rose responds warmly, and Shane hides the conversation from his parents. While Ilya’s season ends, Shane worries their relationship will end too.

In June, Ilya watches the Stanley Cup Final alone in Boston and texts Shane. New York wins, and Scott Hunter, their star player, kisses a man on live television. The moment shocks both Shane and Ilya. Ilya calls Shane immediately and tells him he will come to the cottage.