Heated Rivalry, a new hit television and Crave original, is bridging the gap between the well-established norm for LGBTQ+ athletes in women's hockey, and bringing an important conversation to men's hockey. Harrison Browne discusses the show.
Heated Rivalry, Canada’s queer hockey romance television series, has captured the internet's attention. Fan pages, conversations, and reactions swarm social media as people from all walks of life embrace this headline-grabbing show.
The series follows two professional men’s hockey players who are secretly involved in a romantic relationship, but afraid to reveal their connection. On-ice rivalries and off-ice romance are common in women’s hockey, but no NHL player has publicly identified as queer.
In a nod to the sport's evolving culture, a familiar face appeared in the most recent episode: former National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) player Harrison Browne.
Browne was the first professional hockey player to identify as transgender, making history in the sport. Looking back on his career, Browne played in the NWHL with the Buffalo Beauts from 2015 to 2017. He decided to medically retire to begin hormone therapy in 2017.
After his hockey career, Browne took up acting. Now, he appears on a major stage, playing a heterosexual character on a groundbreaking show. While the women’s hockey world has embraced the LGBTQ+ community both on the ice and in their fan base, Browne and Heated Rivalry are bringing important conversations to men’s hockey through Heated Rivalry.
“The more that we can question masculinity and toxic masculinity, and there's more than one way to be a man, and there's more than one way to be tough and masculine on the ice and off the ice,” Browne continued.
“The more that we can just not put so many people into boxes, what you're allowed to look like, who you're allowed to love, and just accept people for the diversity that they bring, I think it will really translate on and off ice for better performance and healthier lifestyles.”
Browne was cast in the newest show, playing a teammate, Connors, of one of the main characters.
“So many people say, ‘we need an out player, we need to see that.’ I just want to see people feel safe being themselves in their dressing rooms, in their space,” says Browne.
Playing a heterosexual character helped Browne handle imposter syndrome in acting.
“For me, hockey is my life, and it's been my life for a really, really, really long time, and I have a lot of experience, but when it came to auditioning for male hockey player roles, I felt like I didn't belong. I felt too small. I wasn't muscular enough, it wasn't masculine enough. But this experience has really shown me that there are many ways to be a hockey player.”
The show’s reach has blown up. Browne mentioned that he had friends who never understood hockey and reached out to him. The feedback, and as he calls it, the ‘cultural phenomenon’ of Heated Rivalry has blown up beyond his imagination.
This level of attention was familiar to Browne. It rivaled his coming out in 2016.
“It's been absolutely overwhelming; the number of people that have reached out to me is almost on par with when I came out in 2016,” he said. “I've had a massive influx of followers and lots of messages from trans individuals all over the world saying that seeing me on screen helps them, and the only time that I heard that was like seeing me on the ice helped them.”
The 32-year-old appeared in one episode this season, but fans hope he’ll play a bigger role in future seasons.
Joy in women’s hockey among couples like Montreal Victoire and Canadian national team wives Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey is regularly on display. Across the PWHL there are many couples who call themselves both teammates, and in other circumstances, rivals, across the league. But it’s not the norm in men’s hockey. Browne believes Heated Rivalry is important in ushering that joy to the entire hockey community.
“Seeing the response to this show and seeing the acceptance of gay hockey players in this world has been so joyful. We haven’t had much trans or LGBTQ+ joy lately, given what’s happening in society, but this experience has been wonderful.”
As more queer hockey players are represented in society, the NHL remains the only professional league without an openly queer player.
Browne found support in professional women’s hockey, but the sport’s culture has not traditionally been safe for queer athletes. He shared a message for anyone watching the show who can relate to the storyline.
“I think just knowing that you're not alone, there are people that are there to support you, and there's a whole community out there with open arms. I just want to see people feel safe being themselves in their dressing rooms. There's more than one way to be a man, and there's more than one way to be tough and masculine on the ice and off the ice.”