Jan. 29, 2026 is officially Shane Hollander Day in Ottawa. Hollander is a central character in the international hit TV show “Heated Rivalry” and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe made the proclamation on Thursday, in the presence of the show’s creators, to honour the fictional character who is born and raised in Ottawa. “Whereas Ottawa’s Shane Hollander is a hockey sensation and a smokeshow who captured the hearts and minds of hockey fans, hockey moms, and the LGBTQ+ community around the world because of Heated Rivalry,” the mayor’s proclamation reads. Hudson Williams, who plays Hollander in the series, is in Ottawa attending a Canadian media industry conference alongside co-star Sophie Nélisse, who portrays Rose Landry, a famous actress. The pair appeared at a red carpet event for the Prime Time conference at The Westin Hotel and joined a group of Canadian media professionals for a panel. Prime Minister Mark Carney also delivered remarks at the conference. The Canadian-made television show follows the romance between two hockey pros — Hollander and Illya Grigoryevich Rozanov — and has gained worldwide attention. The Bell Media production was created for the streaming service Crave, and became a global phenomenon after being acquired by HBO Max. The show’s creators, Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, are also currently in Ottawa for the conference. Heated Rivalry’s second season is rumoured to place in Ottawa, and the mayor’s proclamation includes a playful request for the show to film its second season in the capital. “Whereas you should come shoot Season 2 of Heated Rivalry here because the cottage in Lanaudière is only three hours away and Shane and Illya are probably going to spend lots of time there,” the mayor wrote. Hollander is portrayed by Canadian actor Hudson Williams. Williams and co-star Connor Storrie, who portrays Rozanov, presented an award together at the Golden Globes and were Olympic torchbearers for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February. CTV News, Crave and CP24 are owned by Bell Media, which is a division of BCE.
