Treena Orchard

non-tragedy that makes space for love in a way that helps people feel seen and also encouraged especially within the context of sport I think that is a really important framing of this story and why it's hitting as well because we often hear about hockey we hear sexual and gender-based violence

And there was the big hockey trial this year.

So in terms of bookends, having the hockey trial on the one end and then wrapping up 2025 with this amazing show on the other, it sparked a lot of hope, I think.

Well, I think it's a way of showing that masculinity takes many shapes and sizes and shades and also that intimacy can be part of a strong, sexy way of doing relationships that are queer.

You know, both characters don't identify in the same space, right?

Ilya is bi.

Shane finds intimacy.

through the series that he is gay.

And that's a big acknowledgement as well.

He actually comes out to a number of different people in the show.

And I think that really shows the importance of friendship as well as sort of the terror that can surround coming out in the traditional sense, especially to parents.

I don't know if we can say that one show is going to dynamically change the way that locker rooms have been set up and supported, whether positively or negatively, for decades.

But I think that it might make certain people, particularly in positions of power, as well as queer players themselves, maybe question the nature of their involvement in locker room talk, or it might make them a little more courageous to stand up.

And I think that it's interesting that certain people within the NHL have been watching it.

Whether or not that's just lip service, who knows, because it's obviously advantageous for folks in positions of power within the NHL and the OHL to say that we endorse the show.

This is great.

This is moving forward for hockey.

But so it sort of remains to be seen in that regard.

Oh, absolutely.

And we have seen, you know, like a cascade of stories, frankly, from sports settings, including hockey, from people who have come out and people who have come out a long time ago.