Ahead of the release of his documentary, Luke Prokop discusses the effect the hit show Heated Rivalry had on him and his upcoming documentary.
When Heated Rivalry was released as a television series back in late November, it took the hockey and gay community by storm. It set records with 16 wins at the Canadian Screen Awards.
The show’s impression was felt and heard around the hockey world. One particular impact it had was on Luke Prokop’s new documentary called The Hockey Player. Upper Canada Films has a documentary, The Hockey Player, coming out on June 29 on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+, which follows Prokop’s personal journey while playing pro hockey.
In fact, without the success of Heated Rivalry, Prokop’s documentary might not have been released.
“My documentary wouldn’t have been able to be out to the public if it weren’t for the show,” Prokop told TheHockeyNews.com.
Prokop, the first-ever men’s professional hockey player to publicly come out as gay, revealed that his documentary was originally planned to be released in the summer of 2025. However, the lack of commitment from sponsors and brands to help fuel the project held back production.
“They liked the idea, they liked the concept, but they never… fully get behind it,” Prokop said. “We were actually very concerned if we were ever going to be able to finish it. Once (Heated Rivalry) came out, a lot of those brands came back and were really interested in working together.”
Even several months after Heated Rivalry was the talk of the town, it still has its impact in hockey circles, and far beyond an entertainment level.
On a broad worldwide scale, hockey doesn’t have the largest community, so the gay hockey community will naturally be even smaller. But shows like Heated Rivalry, now paving the way for other forms of exposure, such as Prokop’s The Hockey Player, are growing the game and attracting new fans to the sport.
There is another side to the show that put Prokop in an awkward spot as the only openly gay men’s professional hockey player. Although he was “late to the party” in terms of watching the series, as a steamy and romantic show, Prokop admitted that “there are some things that maybe I didn’t really want to get associated with.”
“Being the only openly gay player in men’s professional hockey, I didn’t want someone who didn’t know me at all to be watching that show and thinking that’s how I acted in the locker room and stuff like that,” Prokop said.
The 24-year-old defenseman admitted that it took some getting used to, and he faced a lot of questions about the show, which he needed to watch himself.
In the end, there was still plenty of good that the show brought to the community, with Prokop as a trailblazer and a big reason for new fans getting into hockey.
“There was a lot of stuff that I could relate to, though,” he said. “I think a lot of professional athletes who have come out, there’s a lot of different things they could relate to.
“I think the show did a fantastic job of putting awareness to a community that’s been… I feel like desperate to get into hockey,” Prokop added. “I think hockey gained a lot more new fans from it, and then it was kind of up to the teams and the leagues around the world to be open to the movie and the show. I think it did a really good job for the sport of hockey.”
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