Your Essential Guide to the ‘Heated Rivalry' Book Series Timeline

With Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov's (Connor Storrie) hookups spanning almost a decade before they start a relationship, Heated Rivalry Season 1's timeline is complicated. What's more, their story overlaps with Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady's (Robbie G.K.) romance, just like it does in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series. The concurrent events don't stop there, as we're going to see in Heated Rivalry Season 2. Reid has written about five different couples overall across six books. Though Heated Rivalry begins first timeline-wise, Scott and Kip's Game Changer arrives first in the series. Both are covered entirely in Season 1. Shortly after Heated Rivalry ends, Ryan Price (Daniel Diemer) and Fabian Salah (Shaheen Jafargholi) fall in love in Tough Guy . Next comes Kyle Swift (Matthew Finlan) and Eric Bennett's Common Goal . Then, we have another overlap with Troy Barrett (Charlie Gillespie) and Harris Drover (Justice Smith)'s Role Model and Shane and Ilya's sequel, The Long Game . So, what exactly overlaps with what? Swooon has a visual aid to help you. If you keep scrolling further, we'll give you a basic rundown of when each major relationship development occurs, including the ones that'll likely make it into Heated Rivalry Season 2. Show creator Jacob Tierney has confirmed that The Long Game is the primary source for the adaptation this time around, though the concurrent Role Model will also play out. Get the full series timeline from start to finish below. Timeline: January 2017 – June 2017 We've already seen the entirety of Game Changer play out on screen in Season 1, though Tierney cut some moments from the book to have most of it fit in Episode 3, 'Hunter.' He also extends the book's timeline by several years, which Arnaud revealed was an editing mistake. Focusing on the book, however, the New York Admirals captain meets Kip while the latter is working at a smoothie ship in January 2017. They date and go on a short break in May, at odds over being honest and open about their relationship. After they reconcile a week-ish later, Scott comes out to some of his teammates and coach, and they get their happy ending with that Stanley Cup kiss in June 2017. The book ends with Scott making a speech at the NHL Awards that same month. Timeline: December 2008 – July 2017 (November 2018 epilogue) We're willing to bet you know how this one goes. The show is accurate to the book in terms of timeline. Shane and Ilya meet at World Juniors in 2008, the summer before they enter the NHL. They don't hook up for the first time until a year after the draft, following a joint commercial shoot. They start seeing each other secretly whenever they're in the same city from there on out. There's a months-long pause after the Sochi Olympics in 2014 due to Ilya withdrawing from Shane. Feelings grow stronger on both sides as their trysts start again after the 2014 NHL Awards. Still, neither admits how they feel to each other or themselves. In the winter of 2016, Shane panics when he realizes that there's been an emotional shift in his dynamic with Ilya — a.k.a. the Tuna Melt Scene. In 2017, Shane starts dating and breaks up with actress Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse) in the span of a month or so. At the All-Star game that year, Shane admits to Ilya that he's gay and they grow closer. During a phone call, Ilya admits that he loves Shane in Russian, and following a concussion that puts Shane in the hospital, Shane realizes he feels the same. They haven't confessed to each other yet. Here's where the overlap starts. When Ilya sees Scott kiss Kip on TV in June 2017, he gains the courage to take Shane up on his offer to spend the summer break at his cottage. There, the truth comes to light, and they commit to being together. In the epilogue set 16 months later — around November 2018 — Shane and Ilya put the first part of their plan into motion. After Ilya moves from Boston to Ottawa and changes teams, Shane and Ilya announce at a press conference that they're starting the Irina Foundation together. They'll run a hockey camp for kids. It's also revealed that, during the previous season, Shane came out as gay to his Montreal teammates. About a month before the press conference, Shane's best friend and teammate, Hayden (Callan Potter), figured out that Shane was dating Ilya. Reid explores that revelation in full in the short story 'My Dinner with Hayden.' Timeline: September 2018 – January 2019 (July 2020 epilogue) The overall timeline of this relationship is a little more complicated, since Ryan and Fabian have a history over a decade before their book starts in 2018. In 2004, hockey player Ryan meets aspiring singer Fabian when they're both 17. Ryan is billeting with Fabian's family during his final year of high school. Though they crush on each other and nearly kiss toward the end of Ryan's time there, they don't fully act on their feelings. Fabian leaves for college in Toronto shortly after, and they lose touch. Ryan, a severely anxious and insecure enforcer who doesn't hide his sexuality, is traded to Toronto in September 2018. He runs into Fabian, who's working at a drugstore while trying to make it as a musician, a short while later. Fabian becomes Ryan's guide to the gay scene in Toronto. They kiss and see each other intimately fairly quickly after reconnecting. Fabian learns that Ryan is unhappy playing hockey and isn't a fan of what he's putting himself through, and when he finds out that Ryan is taking shots and pills to play through his pain, Fabian breaks up with him. That same month — January 2019 — Ryan attends the funeral of an NHL player who died by suicide via overdose. There, Ryan is approached by Ilya, who offers him a coaching job at his summer camp. Ryan steps away from hockey and gets back together with Fabian. The July 2020-set epilogue, which also occurs when The Long Game starts, sees Ryan happy with Fabian and working at the camp. He walks in on Shane and Ilya kissing after a session. Following that reveal, in The Long Game we see Ryan and Fabian go on a double date with Shane and Ilya. The end of Tough Guy and the beginning of The Long Game line up. Timeline: November 2019 – May 2020 In terms of Shane and Ilya's story, Common Goal is probably the least connected. It is, however, strongly tied to Scott and Kip's romance. Before the book begins, Eric and his wife divorce. In November 2019, 40-year-old Eric is nearing retirement as the New York Admirals goalie and wants to explore his bisexuality. He and Kyle meet after their first substantial conversation at the Kingfisher bar, where Kyle, a grad student, works. At the time, Kyle is hung up on Kip, who's in a committed relationship with Scott. In fact, Ilya (who's in town for a game) is there to witness Eric's interaction with Kyle. Ilya asks Scott to coach at his camp at the same time. In December 2019, Eric invites Kyle to his birthday party, and they grow closer. Eric also comes out to Scott. Scott and Kip get engaged. Eric and Kyle start hooking up casually, though after the January 2020 All-Star Game — which Shane and Ilya also attend — they briefly break up due to Eric's insecurity over their 15-year age difference. They make up after the playoffs the next month, and go on a trip to Greece together following Eric's retirement. In the epilogue, which is also set in May 2020, Eric and Kyle attend Scott and Kip's wedding. Timeline: November 2020 – February 2021 Here's what you're likely going to need to pay the closest attention to, considering that Tierney has confirmed Troy and Harris will be heavily involved in Season 2. Troy first appears in Tough Guy as a minor antagonist to Ryan. Back then, Troy played for the Toronto Guardians and was best friends with league bully and superstar player Dallas Kent. Just before Role Model picks up in November 2020, Kent is accused of sexual assault. Troy calls Kent out at practice, and the video is leaked online. NHL leadership sides with Dallas, and Troy is traded to the Ottawa Centaurs. Also, Troy's secret actor boyfriend breaks up with him around the same time. So, Troy isn't in a great state of mind when he arrives in Ottawa in November 2020, and he's introduced to Ottawa's bubbly social media manager, Harris. Withdrawn, Troy struggles to mesh with the team, but Harris helps as they grow closer. Troy starts visiting Harris' office regularly, and in December, Ilya takes Troy to the Kingfisher to meet Eric, Kyle, Kip, and Scott. Troy comes out as gay to Ilya, and Ilya comes out as bisexual to Troy. In January 2021 — at this point, there are feelings on both sides, but neither has confessed — the Centaurs have an emergency plane landing in Tampa. In the moment, it seemed like the plane was going to crash, shaking everyone up. Encouraged by Ilya not to waste more time, Troy tells Harris that he's gay. They kiss and sleep together for the first time in their hotel room later that night. A short while later, though, Troy isn't ready to come out, so he asks Harris if they can just be friends. They backtrack days later, after going to Fabian's concert with Harris and Ryan, who Troy apologizes to. After speaking out in support of sexual assault victims, taking Harris on a getaway, and meeting Harris' family, Troy is ready to come out. In February 2021, Troy kisses Harris in front of the Centaurs, stands up to his homophobic dad, and comes out during the Centaurs' Pride Night. Related Timeline: July 2020 – July 2021 (October 2021 epilogue) The densest of the Game Changers books, The Long Game squeezes quite a bit into a year-ish period. Picking up with Shane and Ilya a couple of years into their secret relationship, the couple is running their hockey camp and going on that double date with Ryan and Fabian. Ilya's a couple of seasons into captaining the Centaurs, who are struggling to win. Meanwhile, Shane is facing a tense locker room in Montreal, since not everyone is supportive in the wake of his coming out. At Halloween, Ilya hosts a Halloween party for the Centaurs and misses Shane deeply. He's struggling with keeping their relationship a secret and spending time apart. Shane surprises Ilya by driving from Montreal to Ottawa that night, and in the aftermath, Ilya is emotional. He resolves to see a therapist for his depression. After spending whatever spare moments they can manage with each other, Shane and Ilya celebrate Christmas with Shane's parents in Ottawa. On Boxing Day, Ilya asks Shane to go to his team barbecue, but Shane is too worried others will figure out their relationship. They have an intense fight, which makes Ilya doubt if Shane would choose him over hockey. Before they can resolve things, Shane heads back to Montreal. They make up over a phone call. Then, the almost-plane crash in January 2021 puts everything into perspective for Shane. Ilya texted Shane his last words. When Ilya gets back home, Shane is there, and he proposes. Now secretly engaged, Shane and Ilya make a plan to come out soon. Ilya and the Centaurs start winning, and Ilya and Shane go to an All-Star Game. Ilya gets on the NHL commissioner's bad side after he stands up for Troy. The commissioner wants Troy to keep quiet about Kent. In March, after Pride Night, Ilya adopts his dog, Anya. That same month, Shane and Ilya visit Hayden and his family. Hayden takes a 'FanMail' video for a fan and accidentally catches Shane and Ilya kissing in the background, outing them to the world. In the aftermath, the commissioner tells Shane and Ilya to deny their relationship. Shane, who recorded the conversation, shuts that down quickly. Over the next few weeks, Montreal reacts badly, while the Centaurs are as supportive as ever. Scott visits and tells Ilya that he's forming a group of NHL players to fight against toxic hockey culture. In May, Shane leaves his team in Montreal and announces his engagement with Ilya publicly. Later that summer, Shane signs with the Centaurs. They get married in Ilya's Ottawa backyard on July 10, 2021. (In case you want to mark Hollanov's wedding on your calendar.) The October 2021-set epilogue sees a giddy Shane and Ilya about to start their first season together as a married couple. Whew! That's the latest in the Game Changers world, until Reid continues Shane and Ilya's story in Unrivaled . Let us know what you're most excited to see next in the comments below! Heated Rivalry , Season 1, Streaming Now, HBO Max & Crave Heated Rivalry , Season 2, TBA 2027, HBO Max & Crave Read the latest entertainment news on TV Insider.