Women’s Hockey Is Giving Heated Rivalry Fans What Men’s Hockey Couldn’t
When the first wave of Passionate rivalry obsession took over, many fans of the series suddenly found themselves inundated with videos of real hockey players, between the recreations of Shane’s come-to-my-cottage scene and Hallonov’s heartbreaking montages.
“I think Passionate rivalry I confused my social media algorithm,” says Allie Newsom, a 35-year-old health policy researcher. Passionate rivalry content, but I was also getting NHL hockey content and seeing all these memes and stuff about it.
This made Newsom more curious about sports. But instead of choosing an NHL team to support, she decided to look to the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The PWHL had just started its third season in November, just days before Passionate rivalry premiered on Crave and HBO Max. And the barrier to entry was low: Every game is streamed live on YouTube and there are currently only eight teams to follow, making the task of picking a team and learning the history less daunting.
Newsom also knew what many new hockey fans learned during the 2026 Winter Olympics: Men’s hockey has a toxic problem that can’t be fixed with just a few timely hits. Passionate rivalry memes and Pride Tape. As attendance at NHL and PWHL games increased and the Olympics made Hilary Knight and Megan Keller household names alongside Jack and Quinn Hughes, the solution became clear: women.
For Passionate rivalry fans looking for an inclusive environment like the world created by author Rachel Reid, who wrote the Game changers series on which the show is based, PWHL is their best hope, and not just because Montréal Victoire broadcast Scott and Kip’s triumphant kiss scene on the Jumbotron. While the NHL has no gay athletes excluded in its 108-year history, the PWHL had 37 gay players excluded in 2024.
Newsom happens to support Victoire, led by five-time Canadian Olympian Marie-Philip Poulin. Poulin’s wife, Laura Stacy, plays for the same team (literally and figuratively). “The idea of them both playing on the same line, sometimes even ending up in the penalty box together, I thought it was super funny,” Newsom said.
If you’re hoping to witness a real heated rivalry, Anna Kjellbin of the Toronto Specters is engaged to Ottawa Charges player Ronja Savolainen. “That’s my enemy over there,” Savolainen said in an interview before the Olympics, where both women also represented competing countries. “I always want to win and make sure she’s the one who walks away with the loss.”
Then there is the fact that, just like the Passionate rivalry Romance genre fandom and readers in general, the PWHL fandom is largely made up of women. “It’s really great to see women competing in a super physical sport,” Newsom says. “I know other people who have followed the PWHL and have been surprised at how competitive and physical these women play.”
