Heated Rivalry

In October 2016, Montreal forward Shane Hollander endures a humiliating home loss to Boston, punctuated by two goals and constant taunting from his on-ice enemy, Ilya Rozanov. Shane feeds the public narrative of hatred in front of reporters, then drives to a hidden condo he keeps for one purpose: meeting Ilya in secret. Their encounter is as routine as it is emotionally volatile—rough intimacy mixed with tenderness—ending with Shane promising himself, again, that he will stop, while knowing he will not as long as Ilya keeps coming.

The story rewinds to their first collision in 2008 at the World Juniors in Regina. Teenage Ilya arrives determined to take the top draft spotlight from Canadian prodigy Shane. A tense conversation outside the rink turns into mutual disdain, and when Russia beats Canada for gold, Ilya’s smug “See you at the draft” makes the hype personal. Shane leaves with silver, shaken by the realization that Ilya may be his first true equal.

At the 2009 draft in Los Angeles, Ilya goes first overall to Boston and Shane goes second to Montreal, locking them into the league’s most convenient rivalry. That night, insomnia and competitive fury drive Shane to the hotel gym, where Ilya silently joins him. Their treadmill contest becomes charged in a way Shane can’t explain; brief touches leave him rattled, panicked about what he wants, and unable to stop thinking about Ilya even after he returns to his room.

In Ottawa at the 2009 World Juniors, Ilya spends New Year’s Eve alone, fixated on that gym moment and on finding Shane. Shane insists the attraction was a mistake, yet notices his desires shifting. Canada wins gold; in the handshake line, a small squeeze of fingers and locked eye contact signals that something private is forming beneath the public hostility.

In July 2010, a CCM endorsement shoot forces them into close proximity again. In the showers, Shane’s attraction becomes undeniable; Ilya notices, teases, and escalates. That night Ilya shows up at Shane’s hotel room and they cross the line fully, kissing and hooking up for the first time. They agree it must remain secret, then return to being enemies in public.

As rookies in the NHL, the league turns their matchup into a spectacle. Shane makes Montreal’s roster and tries to focus on routine, but Ilya’s bold interviews and dismissive “Who?” provoke equal parts rage and obsession. In their first NHL face-off, Ilya tries to rattle Shane and loses, a small but meaningful blow in the rivalry. Off the ice, Ilya is pulled back into family pressure when his brother Andrei demands money, reinforcing Ilya’s sense that even success does not make him free.

All-Star weekend in Nashville becomes another league-manufactured stage: joint press, a skills showdown, and flirtation disguised as antagonism. Shane breaks the accuracy record, and Ilya slips him a room number. Shane comes anyway, terrified of being seen, and their second hookup deepens the pattern. Shane tries to end it; Ilya ensures “next time” by exchanging phone numbers under fake names—“Lily” and “Jane”—so their secret can keep finding them.

In 2011, Shane’s fear of exposure collides with growing desire. He books hotel rooms to control risk and begins relying on Ilya for the most intense sex he’s ever had, which only increases the danger: wanting it again. At the NHL Awards in Las Vegas, Shane wins Rookie of the Year and searches for Ilya, frustrated by his absence. He finds Ilya smoking on the roof, learns Ilya is leaving for Russia, and panics when Ilya kisses him in public space. They part on “next season,” with Shane once more vowing to stop.

Over the years, their meetings continue around games, hidden behind insults and the rivalry narrative. Shane even buys and renovates a building—an “investment” that functions as a safer place for them to meet—showing how deliberate the arrangement has become. In Sochi at the 2014 Olympics, Shane grows acutely aware of Russia’s anti-gay climate and worries about Ilya’s safety. Ilya, crushed by Russia’s poor performance and suffocating obligations, refuses contact; when Shane approaches him in the arena, Ilya shuts him down with “Not here,” scanning for danger. The distance is not about disinterest—it is fear.

At the 2014 NHL Awards, they reunite publicly to present together, then privately in Ilya’s suite, where anger and control shape an encounter that leaves Shane ashamed and, for the first time, longing for tenderness—realizing afterward that he wanted a kiss. Later, Shane attempts to end things during a visit to Ilya’s Boston penthouse, but the night turns unexpectedly domestic: dinner, TV, cuddling, and a softness that feels like a point of no return. When Ilya says Shane’s first name during sex, both panic at the intimacy it implies, and Shane bolts.

In late 2016, Shane begins dating actress Rose Landry after an easy, genuine connection. The relationship is public and wholesome—exactly the kind of story the media loves—but Shane can’t force sexual attraction. Ilya spirals through denial, jealousy, and rage as headlines and photos multiply. When they all end up at the same Montreal club, Ilya provokes Shane by making out with a woman; Shane sees it and flees, sick with the realization that it hurts.

Shane and Rose end things gently when Shane admits he’s been with a man and preferred it, gaining Rose as a confidante. At the 2017 All-Star weekend, Shane and Ilya are placed on the same team. With Shane newly single and clearer about what he wants, their public teasing becomes a cover for intimacy: poolside closeness, on-ice chemistry, and a cheek kiss that reads as rivalry theatrics. Shane asks for a private talk, and he finally says what he has been circling for years: he thinks he is completely gay, and he can’t keep pretending he doesn’t like Ilya. Ilya admits the hardest truth—being openly gay could make it dangerous or impossible to return to Russia, given his family’s position and his fear of what exposure would mean. Still, they share tenderness and a fragile hope for “more,” even as risk keeps pulling them apart.

After Ilya’s father declines and then dies, Shane becomes Ilya’s real source of support, moving beyond hookups into late-night calls and confession. On Skype from Moscow, they share explicit intimacy that turns emotional, and Ilya privately admits—even to himself—that he is in love with Shane. They plan for time together at Shane’s isolated Ontario cottage, but before they can meet, Shane is violently injured in a collision with Boston’s Cliff Marlow, suffering a concussion and fractured collarbone that ends his playoffs. Ilya visits the hospital under the cover of sportsmanship, shaken by how visible his fear almost was. Shane asks again for the cottage; Ilya can only manage “maybe,” torn between longing and duty.

Watching the Stanley Cup Final afterward, Ilya sees New York star Scott Hunter win and kiss a man on live TV. The moment disrupts Ilya’s plan to retreat from Shane, proving openness might be possible. He calls Shane and commits: he is coming to the cottage. There, away from cameras, they admit their terror at what two weeks together means—and how badly they want it anyway. They set a new rule: honesty. They talk about jealousy, family, and what they cannot show, and Ilya reveals a defining wound—he found his mother Irina after her overdose when he was twelve. Shane holds him, and the intimacy becomes something steadier than secrecy.

As the days pass, their private happiness shifts into planning. Ilya worries about citizenship, safety, and a future beyond hockey; he considers a marriage of convenience with Russian-American Svetlana Vetrova, then rejects it after confronting what he actually wants. Shane proposes a concrete path: Ilya aiming for Ottawa, Shane staying in Montreal, and a shared charity to reframe their public “rivalry” as friendship and respect. In that breakthrough, Ilya finally says “I love you,” and Shane says it back. They choose a cause with meaning—mental health and suicide prevention—linking it to Irina and the pain Ilya has carried.

Their secrecy is forced into the open with Shane’s family when Shane’s father accidentally catches them kissing at the cottage. Shane panics, then chooses action: he comes out to his parents, introducing Ilya and admitting they have been secretly involved since before their rookie year. Shock gives way to acceptance and practical support. With that new foundation, Shane and Ilya recommit to their long game—patient steps, selective honesty, and building a future while controlling who knows.

Sixteen months later, they maintain the public rivalry on the ice while preparing a new narrative off it. At a press conference in Montreal, they launch the Irina Foundation, funded by Shane selling the old hookup building and Ilya selling most of his car collection. Shane frames their connection as friendship; Ilya adds the emotional truth behind the name, revealing his mother died after untreated depression. They are still not publicly out as a couple, but they have moved from secrecy-as-survival to secrecy-as-strategy, taking deliberate steps toward a life they can eventually claim.

In a later dinner with Shane’s best friend Hayden Pike and Hayden’s wife Jackie, distrust boils over into confrontation. Shane finally voices years of fear and loneliness about hiding, forcing Hayden to recognize the hurt beneath his protectiveness. The night ends with apologies, renewed commitment between Shane and Ilya, and a shared readiness to keep moving forward—together, and on their terms.