D.C. Heated Rivalry events are spicing things up off-ice
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If you're experiencing "Heated Rivalry" withdrawals after binging the hit show, fear not — you can party with fellow fans at themed events here in D.C.
Why it matters: The mega pop culture sensation — which follows two professional male hockey players as they fall in love — has broken the internet, meaning the "gay hockey smut" genre is now something your parents are genuinely inquiring about in the fam group chat.
State of play: Cue up the t.A.T.u: Naturally, D.C. event locations are capitalizing on the hottie hockey hook-up show.
- The 14th Street LGBTQ+ hangout space Spark Social is hosting a series of viewing parties for the show this month with all-night happy hour. Check out epis three and four on Monday, with the fifth and sixth streaming on Jan. 19.
- The Howard Theatre is hosting a "Heated Rivalry Rave" on Feb. 6, where you can channel the iconic "Ilya and Shane stare broodingly at each other from across the club" scene while dancing to your fave queer pop anthems.
- And while a Heated Rivalry dance party also scheduled for next month at the 9:30 Club is currently sold out, there will be one hosted March 6 at sister venue The Anthem.
Fun local fact: The author of the "Game Changers" series — the books the show is based on — was apparently inspired by the rivalry between Capitals player Alexander Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins player Sidney Crosby when dreaming up the plot.
💭 Mimi's thought bubble: As someone who goes to sporting events solely for the chicken tendies, I'm not saying that I would be way more into D.C. hockey if all the hottie Caps players occasionally stopped to give each other little smoochies on the ice ... but I'm not saying that I wouldn't be way, way more into it.