‘Heated Rivalry’ stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams are taking over the Winter Olympics

The lead pair of HBO’s hit show Heated Rivalry, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, is officially having a moment—and the internet can’t look away. They’re dominating ice hockey conversations in a way that even legends like Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche rarely do. But something closer to their on-screen personas has just landed in their laps. Both Storrie and Williams are set to take part in the torch relay leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, which will unfold across Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, and parts of Lombardy and Northeast Italy this February.

Storrie and Williams shot to fame thanks to the popular HBO show created by Canadian screenwriter and director-producer Jacob Tierney. The series centres on ice hockey rivals Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two of the most famous players of their generation. While they’re fierce competitors on the rink, Shane and Ilya form a deep and unexpected bond off it. Their undeniable chemistry and emotional depth have earned the show a massive global fan following—especially among women, who love its sensitive portrayal of navigating ambition, pressure, and personal feelings beyond the game. 

And now Storrie and Williams are everywhere—late-night talk shows, morning show appearances, and gracing red carpets adorned in the likes of Armani, Bvlgari, and Yves Saint Laurent. Their funny bit as presenters at the Golden Globes 2026 not only earned them Hollywood superstars as fans at ‘Hollywood’s biggest party’, but also long queues of people waiting to get selfies with them. 

Williams has already walked the Milan Fashion Week runway for DSquared and attended the Armani show in an outfit reminiscent of old Hollywood mafia films. Two internet-breaking appearances in the span of just two days.

The Olympics released a statement on Thursday announcing the duo from the hockey romance show as part of the torchbearer line-up. The organisation did not specify the exact dates on which Storrie and Williams will carry the torch. The relay kicked off in Olympia, Greece, on November 26, 2025, and will conclude at the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6, 2026. For the first time, the Winter Games will feature two cauldrons for the Olympic flame. One will be in Milan, where the men’s and women’s ice hockey tournaments will be played, and the other will be in the Cortina mountains.

With their appearance at the 2026 Winter Olympics, organisers should expect a surge in viewership and attendance as the fans will flock to watch Storrie and Williams in real action.

Lead image credit: Getty Images 

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