By LOUISE DIXONLONDON (AP) — If you haven’t heard of gay ice hockey TV drama “Heated Rivalry” and its two lead stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie yet … then get your skates on. What started as a word-of-mouth hit in the U.S. and Canada in December 2025 has spread to become a global phenomenon. And as it launches across Europe, it’s proving a surprise hit in Russia, even though homosexuality is illegal there and the show will never get an official release. Journalist and author Mikhail Zygar was born in what was then the Soviet Union, like Rozanov, and spent his childhood as a closeted gay man in Russia. “I found out that these scenes are presented almost in every episode and I was horrified why and how this video ended up on our Russian (streaming) platforms,” Georgy Soldatov said.