The story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov does not stop where ‘Heated Rivalry‘ ends. For viewers who finished Season 1 wondering how long their relationship can survive behind closed doors, the sequel ‘The Long Game‘ provides clear answers.
The follow-up explores what happens when love continues to exist under pressure, with careers, expectations, and personal struggles, and how it will affect every decision Shane and Ilya make.
How ‘Heated Rivalry’ Sets Up ‘The Long Game’
In ‘Heated Rivalry‘, rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been in a rivalry for over eight years. Shane and Ilya start out as competitors who keep meeting in hotel rooms and texting late at night. Over time, that arrangement turns into something much deeper. By the finale, they finally admit what they mean to each other and settle into a real relationship.
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The catch is that no one else knows. They decide to stay closeted to protect their careers, and The Long Game starts right there. ‘The Long Game‘ jumps ahead a few years and checks back in on Shane and Ilya as a couple who are still together and still hiding. Ilya is now a major player on an Ottawa team that isn’t doing great, while Shane continues playing for Montreal. The distance between their cities is short, but it still affects how they manage their time together.
To everyone else, they present themselves as close friends. They even started a joint charity to reinforce that image. Behind closed doors, though, keeping everything secret becomes harder for Ilya. In the book, he refers to this period as their 11th season of hiding; seven years of secret hookups and three years of being committed without being open.
After Ilya moves from Boston to Ottawa, which is Shane’s hometown, to be closer to him, his priorities start to change. Hockey no longer sits at the center of everything for him, especially when compared to Shane, who remains fully focused on winning another Stanley Cup. That difference slowly affects how they connect with each other.
‘The Long Game’ Tests Shane and Ilya’s Relationship
The sequel also spends time on Ilya’s personal struggles. He keeps having dreams about his mother, who died by suicide when he was 12. The story explains that she suffered from severe depression, and those memories push Ilya to seek therapy. At first, he doesn’t tell Shane. Later, he’s diagnosed with depression, adding another layer to what they’re already dealing with.
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Eventually, the distance between them leads to a serious argument. Ilya tells Shane that hockey always comes before their relationship. Even after that confrontation, they don’t split up. Instead, perspective arrives when Ilya’s team plane is forced to make an emergency landing. The experience reminds both men how much their life together means to them.
They reconnect soon after, and Shane proposes. They talk about coming out publicly on their own timeline, but things move faster than expected when a video shows them kissing in the background and spreads online. When the league pushes them to dismiss it as a prank, they refuse. Instead, Shane and Ilya post a photo together and openly confirm their relationship on social media.
By the end of the book, Shane and Ilya are married and on the same page about wanting children. For the first time, they’re making choices without hiding or second-guessing themselves. There’s no official confirmation yet on whether Season 2 of ‘Heated Rivalry‘ will fully adapt ‘The Long Game‘. Still, creator Jacob Tierney has already confirmed that the series will continue following Shane and Ilya. As for what comes after that, Reid has made it clear she isn’t finished with them.
