In Real Life, Anna Kjellbin and Ronja Savolainen Are Engaged. On the Ice, the Two Hockey Players Could Face Off at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, where they have been selected for the teams of their respective countries. A Scenario for the Heated Rivalry.
Their rivalry could well melt the ice at the 2026 Winter Olympics, held from February 6 to 22 in Italy, between the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Fiancées to the city, Anna Kjellbin and Ronja Savolainen are also ice hockey players. Evolving at the highest level in Canadian clubs, they have been selected for the Games in two different national teams, which could lead to them facing each other in an Olympic matchup.
Anna Kjellbin, 31 years old, who plays with the Toronto Sceptres, is thus preparing to compete in her first Olympics with the Swedish national team. Ronja Savolainen, 29, a player for the Ottawa Charge, is meanwhile a cornerstone of the Finnish team, bronze medalists at the 2022 Games. Their potential face-off on the ice echoes a certain Canadian series with meteoric success, Heated Rivalry (France release scheduled for February 6 on HBO Max), which features two rival hockey players who desire each other.
From Heated Rivalry to Reality
While women’s hockey counts several openly LGBT athletes, such as players Jill Saulnier or Amanda Pelkey, this visibility remains fragile, depending on national contexts and league support. By contrast, no actively playing male player in the National Hockey League (NHL) has come out.
Created by Jacob Tierney, the series Heated Rivalry adapts the novels Game Changers, by Rachel Reid, written in response to the lack of visibility for gay players in men’s hockey. The show’s resonance has already surpassed the circle of viewers: Jesse Kortuem, a former American hockey player now retired after competing in amateur and semi-professional leagues, came out on January 14 on social media. In his post, he explains that the series helped him take the step and recounts having quit hockey once at 17, unable to envision himself as a gay player in that environment. If he took up skates again as an adult, he had remained discreet about his private life for fear of consequences in the locker room. Nothing beats visibility for unlocking things!
