{"id":67914,"date":"2026-02-18T14:25:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T19:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=67914"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:27:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T19:27:00","slug":"stockman-heated-rivalry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">In late January 2026, <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm4187140\/\">Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909<\/a>, found himself shaking hands with the prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney. The occasion? Not a trade deal or a diplomatic t\u00eate-\u00e0-t\u00eate\u2014but a chance for Carney to praise one of the hottest shows on TV, which Stockman helped bring to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stockman is an executive producer of \u201c<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/play.hbomax.com\/show\/50cd4e99-04ee-427b-a3b4-da721ed05d9c\">Heated Rivalry<\/a>,\u201d the Canadian-made series that has taken the streaming world by storm since it debuted in late 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seen on HBO Max in the U.S. (and on the Crave streaming service in Canada), it follows the relationship\u2014professional, sexual, and eventually romantic\u2014between two world-class male hockey players: Shane, a shy and even-tempered Canadian, and the bombastic-but-sensitive Ilya, who&#8217;s Russian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Justin Stockman shakes hands with the prime minister of Canada, Mark Carney\" class=\"wp-image-67876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/CHAN7413-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Dave Chan<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Greeting Canadian PM Mark Carney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe prime minister decided to come meet the cast, which was great, since this is such a big Canadian series,\u201d Stockman says of the encounter at a media conference in Ottawa. \u201cWe believe it\u2019s probably the biggest Canadian series ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A career entertainment executive, Stockman is vice president for content development and programming at Bell Media, Crave\u2019s corporate parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d isn\u2019t its first hit outside Canada; other well-performing shows viewable in the U.S. include the Hulu comedy \u201cLetterkenny\u201d and its spinoff \u201cShoresy,\u201d as well as the drama \u201cSullivan\u2019s Crossing\u201d and the family sitcom \u201cChildren Ruin Everything,\u201d both on the CW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d\u2014which is based on Rachel Reid\u2019s bestselling, erotically graphic series of queer hockey romances\u2014has become a phenomenon, attracting global headlines and <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/heated-rivalry-winter-olympic-569baff2ce0ae2e45a8a3245562346e2\">Olympic shout-outs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p> We believe it\u2019s probably the biggest Canadian series ever.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>It even got a rave from NHL commissioner and ILR alum Gary Bettman \u201974, <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6975677\/2026\/01\/15\/heated-rivalry-nhl-gary-bettman-hockey\/\">who reported<\/a> binging all six episodes and called the storyline \u201cvery compelling and a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when the Ottawa Senators <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6996197\/2026\/01\/27\/heated-rivalry-senators-jerseys-rozanov-hollander\/\">released hockey jerseys<\/a> emblazoned with the last names of the two lead characters, they sold out almost instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe knew it was a good show, and we were pretty confident it was going to do well\u2014but \u2018do well\u2019 can mean a lot of different things,\u201d Stockman observes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe thought maybe it would get some press, and we were excited when it sold to HBO because it would help elevate it in the U.S. But we weren\u2019t sure how many people would watch it, or where it would land. It has obviously outdone all our expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Heated Rivalry (L to R) - Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov in Episode 104 of Heated Rivalry. The two are in a hockey face-off.\" class=\"wp-image-67878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_104-68-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Sabrina Lantos<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The show follows two pro hockey players who are rivals on the ice &#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Shane and Ilya, wearing tuxedos, touch their foreheads together in a scene from &quot;Heated Rivalry&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-67877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Heated_Rivalry_-_Episode_101-16-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Bell Media<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8230; but carry on a secret romantic relationship over the course of years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>An Ontario native, Stockman studied fine arts at Toronto\u2019s York University and was still an undergrad when he got his foot in the door of the media business with a job as a tour guide at a major TV station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He steadily worked his way up; meanwhile, the station became part of the broadcast network CTV, which was later acquired by Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stockman earned his MBA through a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.johnson.cornell.edu\/programs\/emba\/americas\/\">joint program<\/a> between Cornell and Canada\u2019s Queen&#8217;s University, an accelerated course geared toward working professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the past five years, he has overseen Bell\u2019s English-language entertainment content (there\u2019s also a separate French division)\u2014helping to shepherd Canadian-made programs from concept to reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p> NHL commissioner and ILR alum Gary Bettman \u201974 reported binging all six episodes and called the storyline \u201cvery compelling and a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI do not get to have that much fun,\u201d Stockman says with a laugh. \u201cMost of my day is meetings, PowerPoint decks, and Excel spreadsheets. I\u2019m looking at the numbers and making sure that things make sense from a business standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stockman remains connected to the creative side, though, particularly for a new show\u2014visiting the set, reviewing scripts, and approving casting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d he notes, used some novel production methods\u2014including a \u201cvolume wall,\u201d in which backgrounds are provided in real time by a giant, curved LED screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Jason Stockman in a mauve suit speaking in front of a blue background\" class=\"wp-image-67875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Bell-Upfront-2024-076-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Bell Media<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stockman at the 2024 &#8220;upfronts,&#8221; when networks and streamers showcase new programming to advertisers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, in the scene where Shane is sitting in an ice cream shop during the Sochi Olympics, and some fellow players pass by and join him: \u201cThat was using the full virtual wall,\u201d Stockman says. \u201cThey were in Toronto, in front of a screen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The show has already been renewed for a second season; Stockman says it will hew closely to Reid\u2019s book <em>The Long Game<\/em>, which continues Shane and Ilya\u2019s romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was a bit of a trope that a hockey show might sell just in the Nordic region and maybe in the U.S.\u2014but our first sale for \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 was to Australia and New Zealand,\u201d Stockman recalls. \u201cIf the characters are authentic and real, you\u2019ll find your entry point and relate to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>There was a bit of a trope that a hockey show might sell just in the Nordic region and maybe in the U.S.\u2014but our first sale for \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 was to Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The show\u2014Bell\u2019s biggest global success to date\u2014arrives at a time when Canadian-made programming is reaching a broader audience, Stockman notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the nation\u2019s TV industry might once have been better known in the U.S. as a venue for  American-set series seeking lower production costs, shows like \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d feature quintessentially Canadian stories, characters, and settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHollywood\u2014which really was the engine of entertainment\u2014has definitely scaled back the number of shows it\u2019s producing; there has been so much change with mergers, potential mergers, and restructuring that there\u2019s a bit of decision slowdown on green-lighting new programs,\u201d Stockman says. \u201cWe think this is our moment to harness all that great Canadian talent, and export it in a bigger way around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Stockman (center) with the stars of &#8220;Heated Rivalry,&#8221; Hudson Williams (left) and Connor Storrie. Stockman is wearing the jersey of the show&#8217;s fictional Boston Raiders. (Bell Media)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published February 18, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":67879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[19314,23878,65082],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-67914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens - Cornellians | Cornell University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens - Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cornellians | Cornell University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-18T19:25:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-18T19:27:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeCornellians\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beth Saulnier\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"headline\":\"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-18T19:25:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-18T19:27:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\"},\"wordCount\":1031,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\",\"name\":\"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens - Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-18T19:25:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-18T19:27:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\"},\"description\":\"Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Stockman (center) with the stars of \\\"Heated Rivalry,\\\" Hudson Williams (left) and Connor Storrie. Stockman is wearing the jersey of the show's fictional Boston Raiders. (Bell Media)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/\",\"name\":\"Cornellians | Cornell University\",\"description\":\"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100\",\"name\":\"Beth Saulnier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Beth Saulnier\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens - Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens - Cornellians | Cornell University","og_description":"Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars","og_url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/","og_site_name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Cornellians","article_published_time":"2026-02-18T19:25:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-18T19:27:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Beth Saulnier","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@WeCornellians","twitter_site":"@WeCornellians","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beth Saulnier","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/"},"author":{"name":"Beth Saulnier","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"headline":"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens","datePublished":"2026-02-18T19:25:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-18T19:27:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/"},"wordCount":1031,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg","articleSection":["Alumni"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/","name":"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens - Cornellians | Cornell University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-18T19:25:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-18T19:27:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100"},"description":"Justin Stockman, MBA \u201909, is an executive producer on the hit show about a romance between two male hockey stars","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/HERO-AM1_3860-A.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"Stockman (center) with the stars of \"Heated Rivalry,\" Hudson Williams (left) and Connor Storrie. Stockman is wearing the jersey of the show's fictional Boston Raiders. (Bell Media)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/stockman-heated-rivalry\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meet the Alum Who Helped Bring \u2018Heated Rivalry\u2019 to TV Screens"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/","name":"Cornellians | Cornell University","description":"Cornell&#039;s alumni publication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/#\/schema\/person\/32fea64e8c64bb984ed5809675634100","name":"Beth Saulnier","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/321760a8edb5153d2c562bbadd61cc5ebb987bda75fb59074266c35cc35beae1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Beth Saulnier"},"url":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/author\/ess8\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET","POST","PUT","PATCH","DELETE"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67914"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67960,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67914\/revisions\/67960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67914"},{"taxonomy":"cornell_year_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cornell_year_post?post=67914"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=67914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}