Pack your jersey and get ready to relive all your favourite moments from Crave’s hit gay hockey romance.
By Stephan Petar
It’s official. We have entered the Heated Rivalry ‘offseason.’
The enemies-to-lovers gay romance about two superstar professional hockey players, Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), officially wrapped its first season with a second on the way. While no official date has been revealed for season two, producer Jacob Tierney suggested to Entertainment Weekly it would likely premiere sometime in early 2027.
Until Ilya and Shane skate back onto screens, fans will no doubt indulge in a few rewatches or read the books by Rachel Reid. Some are even beginning to plan road trips to its filming locations, recreating scenes and posing for photos.
If you’re thinking of a Heated Rivalry-inspired tour, then pin these 15 filming locations across Toronto, Hamilton, Guelph and Muskoka. And don’t forget to have the show’s soundtrack downloaded to listen to.
Season 1, episode 1: “Rookies”
McMaster University
Locations: 1280 Main Street West + 98143 Stearn Drive, Hamilton
Two McMaster University gyms were key to setting the romance between our two leads. Ilya and Shane first meet outside Burridge Gym and the pair workout at Pulse Fitness Centre.
Ciao Bella
Location: 26 Augusta Street, Hamilton
This Italian eatery is the Hollander family’s restaurant of choice. Not only is it featured in episode one, but it makes another appearance in episode four when Shane meets his parents after enjoying a homemade tuna melt at Ilya’s house. For those looking to dine at Ciao Bella, it is known for its fresh pasta as well as cocktail and wine selection.
SoHo Hotel
Location: 318 Wellington Street, Toronto
The downtown Toronto accommodation is where Shane spends the night after the MLH Draft. Although we cannot pinpoint the exact hotel room, each seems to feature the same bed and bedframe as seen in the series.
Joni Restaurant
Location: 4 Avenue Road, Toronto
After winning his Rookie of the Year Award, Shane walks down the iconic staircase of this Toronto restaurant nestled in Yorkville’s Park Hyatt. When Joni isn’t doubling as a Las Vegas venue, it’s serving seasonal farm-to-table meals and wowing everyone with its statement making decor.
Season 1, episode 2: “Olympians”
Dundurn Castle National Historic Site
Location: 610 York Boulevard, Hamilton
This Hamilton castle was home to railway magnate and lawyer Sir Allan Napier MacNab – who is also the great, great, great grandfather of Queen Camilla. The 1830s Italianate-style villa is meant to serve as one of Moscow’s grand palatial structures. You can spot it in the episode’s opening scenes as Ilya goes for a run.
First Ontario Concert Hall
Location: 1 Summers Lane, Hamilton
This concert venue makes two appearances in the season. The first is during the Major League Hockey Awards, when Ilya and Shane co-present together. The second is in episode six when Scott (François Arnaud) gives his speech after leading the New York Admirals to victory. For visitors, it’s safe to say you won’t get on stage, but you can sit back and enjoy a performance…or imagine Ilya and Shane in front of you.
Season 1, episode 3: “Hunter”
Relay Coffee Roaster
Located: 27 King William Street
If you’re looking to order a blueberry smoothie with banana at the spot Scott and Kip (Robbie Graham-Kuntz) met, I’m sorry to disappoint. The location of Scott’s favourite smoothie shop, Straw+Berry, is actually a popular Hamilton cafe that has been roasting fair trade, organic, specialty coffee for over 15 years. But, cafes are traditionally known as the perfect spot for a meet-cute anyways.
Winchester Arms
Location: 120 King Street West, Dundas
The bar is the local haunt for Kip and his friends to gather to talk about life and watch hockey. It’s most memorable for Kip’s birthday when audiences see Scott staring from a distance through the diamond-pattern windows – which these fans recreated. In reality, the Winchester Arms is a typical British Pub with its food and atmosphere. Here’s hoping it hosts viewing parties next season.
Liuna StationLocation: 360 James Street North, Hamilton
For those travelling to West Harbour GO Station, you’ll be happy to know there is a filming location next door. Liuna is a neoclassical train station from 1931 that is now a luxury events venue. It’s the backdrop for the St. Thomas Scholarship gala that Scott, Kip and Elena (Nadine Bhabha) attend. It is here where Elena dances with Scott and delivers the line “He deserves the best, he deserves sunshine…and so do you.”
Season 1, episode 4: “Rose”
Le Tambour Tavern
Location: 345 King Street West, Hamilton
It might not be Montréal, but French bistro Le Tambour Tavern is the setting for two pivotal scenes between Shane and Rose (Sophie Nélisse). It’s where the pair first meet and where Rose offers her fries – which according to Google Reviews are “amazing,” “perfect” and “an experience.” In the following episode, she confronts Shane about his sexuality. It’s here that he delivers one of the series’ many viral lines, “I kind of prefer being the hole, rather than the peg.”
Mansion
Location: 54 King Street East, Hamilton
Queue “All The Things She Said” by T.A.T.U.! After being consumed by jealousy, Ilya heads to a nightclub – which is supposed to be set in Montréal – only to see Shane and Rose dancing together. Poor Ilya! On the bright side it gave Russian duo T.A.T.U. a bit of a resurgence.
Season 1, episode 5: “I’ll Believe in Anything”
Lavelle
Location: 627 King Street West, Toronto
Shane and Ilya find themselves at a hotel bar and poolside in Tampa Bay ahead of the All-Star Game. In real life, the hotel is 16 stories above the streets of Toronto at Lavelle, a popular summer spot with a lounge, outdoor pools, cabanas and city views.
The Pink Tunnel
Location: 149 Ferguson Avenue South, Hamilton
Hamilton’s famed graffiti-filled pink-coloured tunnel was already popular for photo-opps. But after Ilya’s monologue in Russian where he professes his love to Shane, we bet it’ll attract even more people.
Sleeman Centre
Location: 50 Woolwich Street, Guelph
Welcome to the Boy Aquarium! The Sleeman Centre is where the show’s hockey scenes were filmed. But in all honesty, the most memorable is when Scott invited Kip to the ice for that kiss on live television, leading Ilya to say the line we’d be repeating for a week: “I’m coming to the cottage.”
Season 1, episode 6: “The Cottage”
Barlochan Cottage
Location: Muskoka
You technically cannot visit Shane’s cottage as it is a private residence in Muskoka – for now. However, there are plenty of cottages in the area to stay at where you can reenact those steamy and tenderly romantic scenes as well as get up close and personal with the very common and scary “Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird.”
