François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter in the hockey drama Heated Rivalry, has said that the National Hockey League is harnessing the popularity of the series to boost ticket sales, without addressing the homophobia athletes face.

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Arnaud said: “I just hope that the league, that’s now using the show for tweets and Instagram posts and selling tickets, will actually, like, follow through and support open identities for the players.”

This is not the first time Arnaud has spoken about the need for LGBTQ+ allyship in the sport. As it stands, there are currently no out queer male players in the National Hockey League.

He previously spoke to the Express Tribune about how sports bodies need to move beyond performative allyship and address the barriers in hockey.

He said: “You can’t just put a logo up and think the work is done. It’s about creating an environment where people actually feel safe being themselves.”

The hugely popular drama Heated Rivalry has indeed sparked conversations about the sport and LGBTQ+ identities. Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, the show follows Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov – two professional ice-hockey players harbouring a secret, and very steamy, relationship.

And, while the NHL may not be home to openly LGBTQ+ male players, one retired hockey player, Jesse Kortuem, recently came out as gay, citing Heated Rivalry as his inspiration. Although Kortuem never played in the NHL, he competed at a high level as both a defenceman and a centre across several leagues.

In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “After years of privacy, I’m breaking my silence to share a journey that started in the rink in Minnesota and finally found peace in the mountains of BC. It’s a story about being a closeted athlete, the struggle to reconcile two identities, and finally finding a tribe that changed everything.”