The Long Game (2022) is a contemporary romance novel by USA Today best-selling author Rachel Reid. It is the sixth book in her popular Game Changers series and a direct sequel to the fan-favorite second novel, Heated Rivalry. The story continues the journey of rival professional hockey team captains Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, who have maintained a secret romantic relationship for over a decade. The novel explores their struggle to navigate the immense pressure of hiding their love from their teams, the league, and the public, fearing the professional consequences of exposure. Through their journey, the novel explores themes of The Corrosive Burden of a Secret Queer Relationship, Professional Success at the Cost of Emotional Authenticity, and Depression as an Isolating Force.

A lifelong hockey fan, Canadian author Reid is a prominent voice in the LGBTQ+ sports romance subgenre, known for her character-driven stories set in the world of professional hockey. The Game Changers series explores the lives and relationships of various queer players in a fictionalized version of the Nation Hockey League (NHL). After the immense popularity of Heated Rivalry, Reid wrote The Long Game in response to fan demand for a continuation of Shane and Ilya’s story. She has also committed to a third novel about the couple, Unrivaled, slated for a June 2027 release.

This guide refers to the 2024 Carina Press edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of mental illness, death by suicide, suicidal ideation, antigay bias, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

In July, professional hockey rivals Shane Hollander of the Montreal Voyageurs and Ilya Rozanov of the Ottawa Centaurs spend their off-season at Shane’s cottage. They have been in a secret romantic relationship for over a decade. Ilya suggests they tell their agent, Farah Jalali, about their relationship. Though apprehensive, Shane agrees. During a FaceTime call from Shane’s bedroom, they reveal they are a couple, and Ilya comes out as bisexual. Farah is supportive and agrees to keep their secret, as they are not yet ready to go public.

Shane and Ilya run their annual Game Changers Hockey Camp in Montreal, an initiative of their charity, the Irina Foundation, which supports mental health programs in memory of Ilya’s mother, who died by suicide. Shane, who follows a strict performance diet, is anxious about the camp and the risk of their relationship being exposed, so they impose a no-kissing rule. The coaching staff includes Shane’s teammate Hayden Pike, who knows their secret, and Ryan Price, a gay retired player who discovered their relationship the previous year. Ilya becomes jealous when he sees Shane being interviewed by a handsome reporter, Laurent, and impulsively fires a puck at the glass behind Shane’s head. They argue later, and Ilya admits his jealousy. They almost kiss but are again interrupted by Ryan, prompting Ilya to suggest a double date with Ryan and his boyfriend, Fabian Salah.

Shane, Ilya, Ryan, and Fabian go on a double date to a gay bar. Shane is initially uncomfortable with Fabian’s flamboyant and openly queer presentation. Fabian, a musician, asks probing questions about why they keep their relationship a secret, suggesting that hiding is also a distraction. Ilya reveals he has bought tickets for him and Shane to attend Fabian’s concert. At the show, Ilya feels touch-starved, but Shane keeps his distance. Shane, however, is intensely aroused and eventually places a hand on Ilya’s back in a small gesture of affection. After the concert, they return to Shane’s house and have passionate sex. Later, Shane wakes to find Ilya has been outside smoking, a sign of his stress.

In October, as the new hockey season begins, Shane asks Ilya about his sexual history and expresses frustration with hiding their relationship. Shane’s team, the Montreal Voyageurs, celebrates their third Stanley Cup win at their home opener. Shane, whose contract is expiring (making him a pending free agent), intends to re-sign with them. Ilya’s team, the Ottawa Centaurs, is struggling under their new coach, Brandon Wiebe. Ilya feels disconnected and exhausted, blaming himself as a captain for their losses. He hosts a Halloween party to try and reconnect with his teammates. In November, Shane meets with the hockey league commissioner, Roger Crowell, who pressures him to keep his private life private.

While on a road trip in Los Angeles, Shane meets with his ex-girlfriend and close friend, the movie star Rose. She advises him to create a backup plan in case their relationship is outed. Back in Montreal, Shane and Ilya watch an ESPN documentary about their rivalry, which includes a clip showing Ilya’s terrified reaction as he summons medics after Shane suffered a serious concussion years prior. After, they are called to babysit for Hayden and his wife, Jackie. Hayden’s young daughters, Ruby and Jade, intuit that Shane and Ilya are a couple and stage a make-believe wedding for them, which deeply affects both men. That evening, Shane expresses concern for Ilya’s mental state and suggests therapy, but Ilya dismisses the idea.

On Boxing Day, Ilya asks Shane to attend a team party with him. Shane refuses, citing the risk. They have a major argument in which Ilya accuses Shane of taking his sacrifices for granted, including leaving a top team in Boston to play for Ottawa to be closer to him. They question each other’s commitment, and a hurt Ilya reveals that he feels like he has already chosen Shane over his hockey career. He tells Shane to go home. They later reconcile over the phone, and Ilya reveals he has started seeing a Russian-speaking therapist, Dr. Galina Molchalina. In January, the Centaurs’ team plane suffers an engine malfunction. Believing he is about to die, Ilya sends Shane emotional messages via Instagram. The plane lands safely, but Shane is traumatized by the near-loss and begins to question their plan of secrecy.

Following his therapist’s advice to confide in a friend, Ilya comes out as bisexual to his new teammate, Troy Barrett, after Troy comes out to him as gay, and they form a close friendship. Shaken by the plane emergency, Shane surprises Ilya by filling his living room with electric candles and proposing. Ilya accepts, and they agree to come out publicly and get married in the summer. At the NHL All-Star Weekend, Shane wins the fastest skater competition. The next morning, they confront Commissioner Crowell together, defending Troy’s social media activism against anti-gay bias. In March, Troy comes out publicly.

Ilya adopts an abandoned stray dog, Anya. While visiting Hayden’s house, Shane and Ilya share a passionate kiss in the side yard. While Hayden is filming a video for FanMail, a personalized video-greeting service, the kiss is inadvertently captured in the reflection of a mirror in the background. The video goes viral, outing them. They call Farah, who drafts an official statement. Ilya’s coach, Brandon Wiebe, is supportive, revealing he is also bisexual. The Ottawa team rallies around Ilya, but Shane’s coach and teammates are hostile. Commissioner Crowell benches both players indefinitely.

Crowell summons them to a meeting and presents a false statement claiming the kiss was a prank, threatening their careers if they refuse to sign it. Shane adamantly refuses. When they leave, he reveals that he secretly recorded the meeting. They decide to post their own statement on Instagram, confirming their relationship. Shane’s teammate, J.J. Boiziau, confronts him, hurt by the deception, but they begin to reconcile.

Shane and Ilya are reinstated, and their teams face each other in the first round of the playoffs. The series goes to a deciding Game 7. In overtime, Shane trips while defending against Ilya on a breakaway, and Ilya scores the series-winning goal. Shane’s Montreal teammates and some media outlets accuse him of throwing the game, leaving him devastated. After the loss, Ilya tells Shane that he believes he is depressed, like his mother. Shane promises his unconditional support.

In May, Shane turns 30 and decides to leave the Montreal Voyageurs. He signs with the Ottawa Centaurs, becoming Ilya’s teammate. In July, they are married in the backyard of their Ottawa home, surrounded by supportive family, friends, and teammates. The Epilogue jumps to October, at the Centaurs’ home opener. From his place in line, Ilya proudly watches Shane get introduced as a Centaur. They take the ice together as teammates and husbands, ready to win a Stanley Cup together.