Hockey hunks turn out for NYC 'Heated Rivalry' lookalike contest: 'Very provocative'

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Hockey hunks turn out for NYC 'Heated Rivalry' lookalike contest: 'Very provocative'
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Today's Video Headlines 02/02/26

New York City on Sunday — attracting a crowd of hot and bothered men and women who cheered and leered at the contestants vying to resemble the characters in HBO ’s homoerotic hockey drama. Over a dozen hopeful lookalikes clad in hockey jerseys took center stage by Mercer Playground in Greenwich Village , where they acted out scenes from the steamy Canadian series — stripping down and even making out — in the hopes of being crowned most carnal Canuck of the lot.

Fifty-dollars was on the line for each of the two winners — with 25-year-old Ryan Heffernan taking home the crown for most resembling “Heated Rivalry” character Shane Hollander, and 28-year-old Tyler Gaul being named the Ilya Rozanov lookalike.Both Heffernan and Gaul told The Post they’ve been stopped by strangers seeking to take photos with them and insisting they look like the show’s studly stars — Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie — since it was released on HBO in November.JFK assassination film held by feds could be worth $900M – and could prove 2nd shooter on 'grassy knoll'“I was very confident,” he added. “I came here alone because I knew I was going to win.”on his resemblance to Storrie, who plays a Russian ice hockey player and the captain of the Boston Raiders — in a secret relationship with his rival, Hollander, played by Williams, the Ottawa-born captain of the Montreal Metros. “She told me I looked exactly like Ilya, and then most people in my life and her life started to say the same exact thing,” Gaul said.Rapt crowds looked on and cheered as contestants played out lines from the show — and even kissed for the crown.Both winners watched the series — which originally aired on Canadian streaming service Crave — after being introduced to it by the girlfriends.“I was just impressed that a show kind of that provocative and intense is getting as popular as it is,” he said. “It’s great to have the representation and just being able to see, like love and sex portrayed on TV that’s not normally shown.” It wasn’t immediately clear who organized the contest. But the real show on Sunday afternoon was the titillated crowd that braved the cold to catch a little heat from center stage — with well over a hundred people filling the sidewalk while baying ravenous eyes at the contestants. The watchers waved rainbow hockey sticks as hopefuls delivered lines from the show or shed their jerseys to show off six-packs — with some even planting passionate kisses on each other, sending the crowd wild.“It’s these two people that are basically closeted, they’re acting like straight men. And I think that the general public finds that attractive,” said Benji Pearson, a 26-year-old student. JFK assassination film held by feds could be worth $900M – and could prove 2nd shooter on 'grassy knoll'Major US airport forced to ground all flights after 'extreme cold' sparks air traffic control emergencyAlex Pretti appears to spit at ICE, kick out tail light in previous Minneapolis confrontation before he was shot by Border PatrolFaux piercings, fake tattoos and exposed skin galore: Chappell Roan’s Grammys 2026 look is as wild as it getsFaux piercings, fake tattoos and exposed skin galore: Chappell Roan’s Grammys 2026 look is as wild as it getsRapt crowds looked on and cheered as contestants played out lines from the show -- and even kissed for the crown.

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