Heated Rivalry

Rivalry as a mask for emotional vulnerability runs throughout the novel. Shane and Ilya handle feelings they struggle to acknowledge with rivalry and competition. From the beginning, they use their hostility to avoid emotional vulnerability and authenticity. Sometimes it is public theater, other times private protection. However, the intensity of their rivalry allows them to focus on each other, never admitting what that focus actually means.

Before they even meet, Ilya already sees Shane as a threat: “He had never met Shane Hollander. Never played against him. But he was already determined to destroy him” (22). The reaction goes beyond normal competition. Shane embodies everything Ilya doubts he can access: Approval from the league, fluency in English, and visible family warmth. Ilya converts envy and attraction into open hostility. Rivalry gives him a way to engage with Shane without exposing himself emotionally.

Shane does the same. Outwardly controlled and polite, he reacts strongly to Ilya: “Shane was not easily shaken by anyone. That goddamn smirk threw him off balance every time” (27). Shane tells himself it is just competition. He believes he has finally found someone who matches him. The explanation protects him from facing the attraction he feels, as admitting it would force him to question his sexuality and his carefully maintained public image. Calling it a rivalry is safer than naming feelings he cannot yet define.

Even after their physical relationship begins, rivalry still does the heavy lifting. While kissing, Ilya holds onto his anger: “Ilya hated this guy. He hated his pretty boy face and his perfect goddamned English and his perfect goddamned French and his loving parents and his polite little manners and his million-dollar smile” (74). The hostility keeps them at a distance. By clinging to rivalry, both of them dodge the vulnerability that comes with actually caring.

As their relationship deepens, the rivalry does not disappear; it simply becomes more performative. Publicly, their antagonism sharpens to conceal what happens behind closed doors. Teammates, fans, and reporters see only competition. By putting on this act, they can stare, touch, and provoke each other without drawing suspicion. The performance protects them. One key moment comes when Ilya kisses Shane on the cheek during a game. To viewers, it appears mocking, but for Ilya, it is pure joy at sharing the ice: “But the truth was he simply couldn’t help himself. He had seen an opportunity, and he had taken it” (198). The moment reveals how well the mask works, but also its fragility. Hockey culture expects aggression, but the disguise slips when real affection breaks through.

Over time, the cost of this strategy becomes harder to ignore. While rivalry first allows connection, it slowly shifts to something more damaging, locking them into isolation. The novel makes it clear that rivalry, once useful camouflage, cannot sustain a true relationship. By treating rivalry as both protection and a trap, the novel shows how fear dictates the choices of Shane and Ilya. Rivalry keeps them safe, but it also keeps them apart.