Kamloops-born ‘Heated Rivalry’ star met with widespread praise at Golden Globes

The media spotlight remains on the Kamloops-born star of the hit hockey drama Heated Rivalry.

Though not nominated, Hudson Williams was joined by his co-star at this week’s Golden Globes as they presented one of the awards.

Along with the worldwide attention, viewers across the country have embraced the show, notably in Montreal where Williams’ character plays for the fictional hockey team the Metros.

The Crave TV show centres around two professional hockey players, portrayed as bitter rivals, while they harbour a secret romance in a sport where gay romance is almost unheard of. Since its premiere, it has received widespread praise from viewers and critics, and it quickly became Crave’s most-watched original program ever.

Williams was raised in Kamloops and studied at Langara College in Vancouver before landing his breakout role as Shane Hollander.

While the show and Williams have their moment as a breakthrough for Canadian television and queer storytelling, a local petition aims to name a new rink after the actor.

An online petition is calling for the city to name the new Riverside Park skating loop as Hudson’s Loop.

“Kamloops has always been good at producing talent — and when someone from here breaks through on a big stage, it’s worth celebrating,” reads the petition launched by Paul Alberts on Jan. 9.

The long-awaited $7 million rink opened on Jan. 7.

“Heated Rivalry has connected with audiences around the world, especially fans of hockey, winter culture, and LGBTQ+ storytelling. For many people, Hudson’s work on the show is their first introduction to a Kamloops-born performer,” the petition reads. “And that’s something our city can be proud of.”

Williams has since done a series of media interviews and recently said he has heard from multiple gay professional athletes who haven’t made their identity public, but the show resonated with them.

No NHL players are known to have come out as gay, but 23-year-old Alberta native Luke Prokop became the first player with a contract in the league to do so in 2021. Though he’s now a free agent, he currently plays in the AHL for the Bakersfield Condors, an Edmonton Oilers affiliate team.

The online petition can be found here.

— With files from The Canadian Press.