Within weeks of its premiere, HBO’s sizzling series, Heated Rivalry, has emerged as one of 2025’s most buzzworthy shows. This Canadian sensation draws its inspiration from Rachel Reid’s acclaimed romance novels and charts the careers of two rival hockey players: the Canadian prodigy Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and the notorious Russian, Ilya Rozanov, portrayed by Connor Storrie. While these athletes fiercely compete on the ice, a secret affair has been brewing between them since their rookie years, unbeknownst to the world.

Jacob Tierney, serving as the creator, writer, and director, has masterfully transformed Reid’s novels into a series that captures the intricate details of the original text. From Ilya’s iconic crucifix to Shane’s understated home decor, these subtle nuances enrich the storyline and reflect the depth of the characters’ development.

Despite the show’s faithful adaptation, fans of the books have noted a significant omission: Ilya’s tattoos, particularly the bear tattoo prominently featured on his chest in the novels, are nowhere to be seen in the series.

This absence raises questions among viewers: Why is Ilya’s bear tattoo missing from the show? Could it be related to the changes in his team’s name from the book to the series?

To get to the bottom of this mystery, DECIDER recently interviewed Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, seeking clarity on the disappearance of Ilya’s famous bear tattoo.

“Jacob would have a long dissertation, probably, about that,” Connor Storrie said. “I think it was kind of a legal thing. Right? I think that there was some sort of like copyright infringement or something?”

“I’m pretty sure, no, Jacob said he didn’t like it,” Hudson Williams said. “If I can quote his words.” 

“Okay, well, you have two differing opinions,” Storrie said. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Let’s both put words in Jacob’s mouth,” Williams said.

“No, I actually don’t know,” Storrie said. “I mean, that was one of the first things that I brought up was that and then he also gets a different tattoo in a different book.”

Storrie explained that he was determined to live up to book readers’ expectations of the character, maybe even beyond what they wound up demanding of him.

“I was really nervous, though, that the book lovers were going to go crazy. Because, I mean, they’ve imagined multiple books with this character being the certain way,” he said. “But yeah, I guess people were kind of like, ‘All right! Next.’ You know?”

Speaking of what’s next for Ilya and Shane, Heated Rivalry Episode 4 “Rose” comes out on HBO MAX at 12:01 AM EST on Friday, December 12 (aka 9:01 PM PST on Thursday, December 11).