‘Heated Rivalry’ director calls out NHL for ‘toxic culture’ appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Heated Rivalry director Jacob Tierney is calling out the NHL about the league’s “toxic culture.”
Tierney, who is also the writer behind the HBO hit show that tells the love story of two professional hockey players, recently spoke to Andy Cohen on Radio Andy about the NHL’s culture in response to the show. Cohen shared his opinion on the NHL’s growth and said he was “happy that the NHL has met the moment” in line with the show’s popularity putting more eyes on the sport.
“Have they?” Tierney asked, to which Cohen responded, “Have they not?”
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Tierney disagreed, responding, “No… The NHL is not meeting the moment,” adding to his point that he believes that “the NHL has a lot of ongoing work to do.”
The show’s creator believes that since more people have expressed interest in hockey — after the show premiered fans would show up to professional hockey games and sharing moments across social media comparing it to the hit show — and he handed the league “a gift” but they are falling short in other areas. Specifically, Tierney is calling for the NHL to “convince anybody that this is a safe space for people” adding that it is “not doing what they should be doing to make their sport an inclusive place.”
Tierney deemed the NHL to address “their own toxic culture, and they’re not.”
The director did not call out specific incidents, nor has the NHL reacted to Tierney’s claim at this time.
Tierney’s view of the NHL is not new, with even the junior league allegedly being introduced to drugs and sexual abuse, to young hockey players before even potentially entering professional teams. In an 2022 Athletic report, Eric Guest — a then-20-year-old former junior hockey player — shared that he was forced to use drugs when he was a minor.
“I’ve heard from tons of kids. And not just kids. Adults who back in their day they saw and went through stuff like this,” Guest says. “There’s definitely tons and tons of people who feel the same way.”
Even in the league, back in 2022, New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller was attacked with racist slurs in a Zoom call. Last year, five Canadian ice hockey players were accused of sexually assaulting a woman — Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, and Alex Formenton. They were all later acquitted but were given disciplinary suspensions.
Heated Rivalry is expected to premiere in late spring 2027.
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