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Romance novelist Tessa Bailey, who has written several steamy books featuring hockey players, told me that she sees them as modern-day "Scottish Highlanders."

"They're over-the-top masculine, they don't mind fighting and they're not worried about their appearance," she says. "It's sexy when a man isn't concerned about his well-being and how he looks. He just has this passion and this drive ... throw in the fact that they fistfight, get bloody and lose teeth."

Like Bailey, author Rachel Reid leaned into the romantic appeal of hockey players, writing eight novels about them, including the massive hitHeated Rivalry.The TV adaptation premiered on Canadian streaming service Crave in November and was itsmost successful original series debut of all time. It streams on HBO in the U.S., where it consistently tops the TV charts.

Over the course of six episodes, the fervor online for the steamy show featuring a romance between two closeted hockey rivals yearning for (and beefing with) each other has transformed it into an unavoidable pop-culture behemoth. In the throes of the NHL season and weeks before the 2026 Winter Olympics, hockey has never been buzzier. Here's what to know.

The heated rivalry girlies are harassing the Olympics social media person again lmaooooopic.twitter.com/Kez52R8jX5

— M (@KnifeShoeSport1)January 7, 2026

Why is everyone going so nuts for 'Heated Rivalry'?

It's hot, for starters. There's a lot of passion between the leads, the sweet and awkward Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and the bombastic Russian Ilya Rozanov (Conner Storrie). The sex scenes — athletic-but-romantic trysts between two men — arenot something we usually see on TV. The secretive nature of their relationship yields plenty of furtive glances and quiet moments of sweetness.

There's a lot to dissect, and thus a lot for enthusiasts to post about. Videos of scenes from the show are spliced into clips known asfan edits. They often go viral, serving as advertising for the series, making it feel unavoidable online.

Though the final episode of Season 1 aired Dec. 26, Williams and Storrie are just now beginning their U.S. press tour, appearing on talk shows likeThe Tonight ShowandLate Night With Seth Meyers,scoringmassive magazine spreadsand presenting at the Golden Globes during the first few weeks of January. They've become breakout stars, generating viral clips and real-life crowds in a way actors rarely do these days. Their fame is so sudden, their whimsical and over-the-top personalities have not yet been tampered bymedia training. Theirchemistryisconstantly on display. We're watching stars being born in real time.

It's not just hot, though. It's groundbreaking. Williams sayscloseted professional athleteshave reached out to Reid about the representationHeated Rivalryprovides, and she passes the messages along to the people involved with the show. As the Athletic reports, the NHLisn't considered a particularly friendly space for the LGBTQ community. Peoplehope the show can change that— especially as it inspires an influx of real-life hockey fans.

From the small screen to the 'boy aquarium'

The passion forHeated Rivalryis bleeding into real-life rinks. Fans are showing up to games in shirts that reference the series. Teams are starting toreference the show on their social media accountsand on jumbotrons. Longtime hockey fanssay they're thrilledto see so many new people interested in the sport; it's even inspired some of them to check outHeated Rivalry.

"There are so many ways to get hooked on hockey and, in the NHL's 108-year history, this might be the most unique driver for creating new fans," a league representativetold the Hollywood Reporter in December. "See you all at the rink."

I made a shirt for the Ducks game tonight.#FlyTogetherpic.twitter.com/IMPYZeO3Pq

— Stella Chuu (@StellaChuuuuu)December 23, 2025

Elle Kennedy'sbestsellingOff Campusseries, which first came out in 2015 and follows the elite members of a hockey team in their search for love, is often credited with starting the hockey romance trend. (APrime Video adaptationis expected out in 2026.) There's been a steady flow of similar ultra-popular books since then, likeIcebreakerby Hannah Grace and thePucking Wrongseries by C.R. Jane.

Romance is so often dismissed as feminine and incompatible with something so masculine and brutish as hockey, but this isn't even the first time fans of the former bled into the latter. According to data shared with Yahoo by Wattpad, a social platform where authors share original fiction and fan fiction, the number of stories tagged as hockey romance increased 300% in 2021. During the 2021-22 NHL season, female viewership on cable TVrose by 61%.

Fans who get into the sport because of romance media often do so with, let's be honest, elevated levels of thirst. Some refer to the rinks as "boy aquariums," tapping the glass to get the attention of players and hollering for the particularly attractive ones.

This behavior has been condemned by some, when said hollering escalates to what critics believe to be sexual harassment. In 2023, Felicia Weeren, the wife of then-Seattle Kraken player Alex Wennberg,spoke outabout how people were talking about her husband online and at games, calling it predatory and exploitative.Some have criticizedthe "boy aquarium" trend as playing into stereotypes of female sports fans, reducing the players to objects of desire.

But, if the point of the hockey romance genre is to humanize hunky men and recruit new devotees to the sport, is it so bad to indulge in a little respectful thirst? Especially given that the whole appeal of hockey romance is to see these rugged ice gladiators as complex, loving partners capable of change and deep emotional vulnerability. The best thing we can do is keep talking about it.

The Nashville banjoist announced he would not perform atthe newly named performing arts venue,sharing on Jan. 6that he was pulling out of three shows with the National Symphony Orchestra. Fleck wrote on social media that performing there "has become charged and political," when "the focus should be on the music."

Fleck joins a growing camp of artists who havecanceled Kennedy Center showsafterPresident Trumpnamed himself chairman of the famed arts institution in February 2025.

Trump-Kennedy Center demands$1 million for musician's 'political stunt'

A force in the Nashville music scene since the '80s, Fleck's music blends together bluegrass, jazz, folk, classical and world genres alongside his band the Flecktones. He's garnered 43 Grammy nominations, 18 wins and multiple International Bluegrass Music Association awards.

Fleck is no stranger to the former Kennedy Center, which the president has since announced plans to overhaul. The banjoist has performed at the venue multiple times throughout his career.

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"I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The Kennedy Center," Fleck said in his original announcement, adding that the institution should be focused on music.  "I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art."

Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell responded to Fleck on X, writing, "You just made it political and caved to the woke mob who wants you to perform for only Lefties. This mob pressuring you will never be happy until you only play for Democrats."

"The Trump Kennedy Center believes all people are welcome — Democrats and Republicans and people uninterested in politics," Grenell continued. "We want performers who aren't political — who simply love entertaining everyone regardless of who they voted for."

Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decision to rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

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" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

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John F. Kennedy Memorial Center adds Trump to name. See the change

Workers begin adjusting the name of the "John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in what they say was a unanimous decisionto rename the facility "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Centerfor the Performing Arts."

Bela Fleck breaks silence: 'I don't want to take a position, but whatever I do is taking a position'

Fleck spoke to the Washington Postabout his choice in an interview published Jan. 7.

"The Kennedy Center always seemed like an elite place to play. Every time I've gotten to play there has been a special occasion, a career high," he told the outlet. "I was so thankful when this gig came up and was proposed. I was thrilled. So it's a big deal to walk away from it."

The canceled shows were for a segment with the NSO called "American Mosaic," a performance that highlights "American music" for the country's 250th birthday, according to theTrump-Kennedy Center website.

"I like to play for all kinds of people. I don't just want to play to people with my own political point of view," Fleck continued. "When you're trying to decide what to do about a situation like this, it's linked to that very feeling of not wanting to choose sides and alienate people, but also not wanting the music to be about that choice. The music should be itself and stand aside from whatever's happening in the world.

"By not canceling, I'm taking a position, and I don't want to take that position," he said, adding that the "progressive" tone of his music speaks for itself. "That's what it really comes down to: I don't want to take a position, but whatever I do is taking a position."

Who has canceled Kennedy Center shows?

Fleck joins a growing list of artists who have refused to participate in events since the president's takeover and subsequent renaming.

Other artists who have cancelled or withdrawn include: Kristy Lee, Wayne Tucker, Brentano Quartet with Hsin-Yun Huang, Magpie, Doug Varone and Dancers, Maria João Pires with Marc-André Hamelin, comedy show "Asian AF." a touring production of "Hamilton," Chuck Redd, The Cookers, Stephen Schwartz, Issa Rae, Rhiannon Giddens and Balún.

Shonda Rhimes resigned from the center's board of trustees while Ben Folds and Renée Fleming stepped down as artistic advisors. Fleck has an upcoming project on the books with Fleming, an opera singer.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:Bela Fleck breaks silence on canceling Trump's Kennedy Center shows

"The privacy and safety of our guests is of the utmost importance to us. Upon learning of this situation on Wednesday evening, we immediately investigated the matter and identified the person responsible for capturing the images in the post," CSM Lodging, which operates the Residence Inn near the Mall of America. said in a statement.

CSM Lodging first confirmed the employee's termination to Fox News, saying, "The individual is no longer an employee of our organization."

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The images of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents checking into the Residence Inn were posted to Reddit but were taken down by the social media platform for violating its rules.

ICE referred USA TODAY to atweetexpressing gratitude that the hotel took "immediate action and fired the employee." "Doxxing ICE officers and agents puts them and their families at enormous risk," ICE said.

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The incident comes as the city of Minneapolis reels from thefatal shooting of Renee Goodby an ICE agent. The deadly encounter has sparked anger from some residents and local officials over the Trump administration's handling of the immigration enforcement effort there.

Hilton Hotelscame under firethis week after the Department of Homeland Security alleged a hotel in its chain launched a "coordinated campaign" to refuse service to INS officers and other federal agents.

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One person was killed in a shooting involving a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, officials said. Minneapolis Gov. Tim Walz said on Jan. 7 that the shooting involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has surged agents into the Minneapolis area amid a broader federal crackdown on fraud in the state. Here, a member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restrains a protester trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot.

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Federal agent fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis: See chaotic scene

One person was killed ina shooting involvinga federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, officials said. Minneapolis Gov.Tim Walzsaid on Jan. 7that the shooting involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has surged agents into the Minneapolis area amid a broader federal crackdown on fraud in the state. Here, a member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) restrains a protester trying to block vehicles from leaving the scene after a driver of a vehicle was shot.

According to DHS, the Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota, about 25 miles from Minneapolis, canceled a reservation made by ICE officers.

Hilton cut ties with the hotel, which is independently owned and operated by Everpeak Hospitality.

"We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated. We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted," Everpeak Hospitality said in a written statement. "We are committed to welcoming all guests and operating in accordance with brand standards, applicable laws, and our role as a professional hospitality provider."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Marriott hotel worker fired for leaking ICE agents info