NHL commissioner says he 'binged' new hockey reality show 'in one night,' reaffirms stance on Pride jerseys

HBO Max's "Heated Rivalry" has taken the satellite by storm, including National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The amusement revolves astir 2 closeted nonrecreational hockey players successful a narration with each different and has supposedly gained a monolithic following.

Bettman told reporters that helium "binged" each six episodes of the miniseries "in 1 night."

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media anterior to crippled betwixt the Edmonton Oilers and the Ottawa Senators astatine the Canadian Tire Centre.  (Marc DesRosiers/Imagn Images)

"It was precise good done. I deliberation it's a fantastic story. The content, peculiarly for young people, mightiness beryllium a small spicy. And truthful you person to equilibrium that retired successful presumption of however you clasp it," Bettman said.

"I thought the storyline was precise compelling and a batch of fun, due to the fact that I could spot wherever they were picking astatine things that we had successful the past, whether it was (Olympics) successful Sochi oregon the All-Star Game successful Tampa. It was precise good done."

The league garnered contention successful 2023 erstwhile it decided to bash distant with themed jerseys being worn connected the ice. Previously, teams wore jerseys during warmups that coincided with the taxable nighttime successful the arena. That included Pride-themed jerseys, which respective players refused to deterioration successful the past. But the aforesaid could beryllium said for crab remembrance, practice nights oregon different causes.

Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams be the premiere of "Heated Rivalry" astatine TIFF Lightbox connected Nov. 24, 2025 successful Toronto, Ontario.  (Harold Feng/Getty Images)

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At the time, Bettman cited imaginable "distraction" and was steadfast successful his stance again this week.

"It wasn’t astir Pride jerseys oregon Pride tape. It was astir the information of bringing things into the crippled that mightiness not beryllium embraced by the players wearing the jerseys. If immoderate players don’t clasp the cause, immoderate it is, past you make a distraction that doesn’t fulfill the purpose," Bettman said.

All 32 NHL teams are scheduled to clasp a Pride nighttime this season. The Seattle Kraken precocious had players deterioration jerseys for photo-ops.

A wide presumption of the score-clock successful beforehand of the yearly Celebrating Pride crippled betwixt the Edmonton Oilers and the Seattle Kraken astatine Rogers Place connected January 18, 2024, successful Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

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The league has been criticized for not making the LGBTQ assemblage invited astatine its games, which Bettman called "legitimate concerns" successful 2023.

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