Blockbuster HBO Max series fierce rivalry It has garnered more online search interest than many real-life NHL stars, confirming the show’s explosive popularity beyond traditional hockey viewers.
According to Sid Zeigler, out sportsGoogle Trends data from the past 30 days shows that searches for the show’s fictional romantic protagonists, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, consistently outperformed searches for several prominent NHL players throughout most of December.
Even more surprising, in late December, around the same time the season 1 finale was released, searches for “Heat Rivalry” briefly exceeded searches for “NHL” itself.
The trend has spread to some of the league’s biggest names, with searches for Hollander and Rozanov outpacing interest in the Colorado Avalanche stars. Nathan McKinnon and Kale Makar;Edmonton Oilers players to watch conor mcdavid and Leon Draisaitl;Tampa Bay Lightning Forward Nikita Kucherov;and captain of the Washington Capitals alex ovechkinwho surpassed last season wayne gretzky‘s long-standing NHL regular season goal record.
Even retired hockey legend Wayne Gretzky has had fewer searches than “Shane Hollander” in the past 30 days, highlighting how far the show’s reach extends beyond the sport itself.
Two current NHL players have emerged as exceptions to this trend: San Jose Sharks rookies Macklin CelebriniHe recently made headlines for taking off his shirt and wearing a shark tooth necklace during a postgame interview. claimed This will be a “new tradition” for the Sharks players, who were named Player of the Game, and the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. sidney crosby.
Search interest in Celebrini generally trailed Hollander and Rozanov, but surpassed both fictional characters for two short periods of time. Searches for Crosby have exceeded searches for both hypothetical players for most of the past 30 days, and have been below searches only twice.
Searches for “Shane Hollander” peaked on Dec. 27, with the most interest coming from Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, and California. The metro areas with the most searches included Champaign-Springfield, Illinois. Louisville, Kentucky. Pittsburgh; Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The Boston-Manchester area straddles Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Searches for “Ilya Rozanov” peaked on Dec. 26, with the most interest in the District of Columbia, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York. Metropolitan areas with the most searches included Lake Charles, Louisiana; Florence Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Boston/Manchester area. Washington DC area, specifically Hagerstown. Minneapolis-St. Paul. And Denver.
According to , image-based searches for both fictional players in the U.S. also exceeded image searches for all active and retired NHL players in the past 30 days. Google Trends.
Zeigler said searches for “Heat Rivalry” far outweigh the term “NHL” in the U.K., where the show starts on Jan. 10, and consistently outnumber searches by a nearly two-to-one margin on most days.
He also noted that given the NHL’s relatively limited reach compared to other professional sports leagues, even within the United States, it’s not surprising that characters from a hit television series embedded in the cultural zeitgeist receive more public attention than individual hockey players.
Out Sports used to be reported The popularity of “Heated Rivalry” appears to be driving interest in hockey, with some LGBTQ viewers saying the series has encouraged them to watch games on TV or attend NHL contests in person. Former professional hockey player Brock McGillis While he is a fan of the show, he is skeptical that the series will meaningfully change the sport’s traditionally homophobic culture or encourage hidden players to come out.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
