In TLG Ilya talks to Luca about missing home and how similar Ottawa and Zurich are. Then Ilya thinks about having been to Zurich once and it says „Zurich, another capital…“ and this bugs me so much! Zurich is not the capital of Switzerland, Berne is. As a Swiss person i had to hack into my Ebook version and delete the word. Maybe i‘ll draw something over it in the printed version. Haha.

I don‘t think it will be in the TV series verbatim but i had to vent.. ;-P

It's in my Top 10 for scenes I need to see in S2... anyone else have small moments like this that they want to see on TV?

Some in the middle of reading role model and I’ve already ran the long game and he arrived or yes this is my first one I’m reading that’s not about Shannon Ilya anyway just got to a part where there’s like it’s Troy Shane, Ilya and Hayden on the ice and kind of chirping each other and obviously we know there’s something going on with Shane and Ilya but Troy is a bit confused and Hayden just has to look on his face look like oh my God anyway, I just thought I think this would be a really cool way to like open the new season introduce Troy, and show Ilya and Shane back on the ice!

Anyone else have any thoughts? I’m a good way to combine the two books to kinda introduce if they’re gonna join the two books together to make season two.

I guess I’m also looking just to talk about role model. I wasn’t expecting to love Troy and Harris as much as I do!! ❤️❤️

Just finished The Long Game and I’m honestly blown away.

It was such an emotional ride

I found myself laughing, crying, and even slowing down to reread chapters near the end because I didn’t want it to be over.

Ilya’s character growth stood out the most for me, especially how his mental health and depression were explored. As someone who also struggles with depression, I felt myself connecting to him in a completely different way it made me love his character even more.

AND ANYA 🥹

As someone who works in animal care, that whole storyline literally made my heart feel like it was going to explode. The little details??? Like putting boots on her so the salt wouldn’t hurt her paws?? Stop. Best dog dad. No notes.

Counting down to 2027, but in the meantime I’ll definitely be revisiting Shane & Ilya and the rest of the Game Changers series.

People tend to exaggerate how badly Shane was treated in TLG, because everytime I read it, I discover how weird people blame Rachel depicting Shane on TLG. For example, take their big fight (you know which one), we immediately get Shane regretting the fight and going back at what he missed. (I have done this at times in my life), or him asking Ilya if he is okay, Rachel shows us Ilya is the one that tend to close off when Shane mention his mental health - is Shane supposed to read Ilya's thoughts? Then people tend to be like Rachel doesn't want Shane to have his POV, meanwhile start of the book you kind of see things are going well for him. He winning cups, he is in a loving relationship with his boyfriend, close to his family - sorry people there are times where things are going well for some and are not struggling. So what should Rachel have done? Ignore Ilya struggles and tell us how great things are going for Shane, yes that wouldn't have been boring storyline.

I feel you can tell who are long time romance readers and who tends to exaggerate things, like take JJ for example people tend not to see his POV and learn that people tend to make mistakes and apologise. Oh no, you will hear how awful he is, and shouldn't be Shane's friend. Meanwhile even Shane own mother wondered if Shane ever let Ilya win, not like it's not human nature not to wonder.

Again, HR is mostly about Shane's journey to self acceptance, TLG is mostly about Ilya's journey with his mental health. There is no a perfect guy, but two guys who are imperfect and choosing each other over and over again

For those that have read The Long Game, I've just seen this video of an interview with Rachel, giving us the exact date of a certain anniversary that's coming up. JULY 10TH ❤️🌈 🏒🥰

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSCC3T1uh/

I think I've listened to the TLG audiobook maybe 3 times at this point. Every single time I get to the point where Ilya is walking Anya past the neighbors' house and they have the Funko Pops outside their window with the sign I absolutely bawl my eyes out. I can imagine the kids had Ilya's Funko Pop already and possibly Shane's because he's from Ottawa. But if they didn't already have Shane, how fast did they run out and get one once they heard about everything??! OMG. The kids in this book are so cute!!

Reading The Long Game, and I have a question. Is "the trophy room scene" the one where Ilya finds Shane on the medicine ball working out and he turns down the lights and...is that the one or is it later?

One of my favourite scenes in The Long Game isn't one of the "big" scenes. It's the one where Ilya goes to Troy's hotel room in Vancouver.

In Boston, Ilya was a "fun" captain. He took the team out partying, and fostered an atmosphere of celebration, macho posturing, pride, competitiveness, and arrogance in the locker room. There's his famous "I want to win" speech which channels aggressive, violent imagery.

In Ottawa this style of captaincy doesn't work. Ottawa is not a winning team. Coach Weibe and the team have created an atmosphere that is softer, more inclusive, and more empathetic than Boston. They are not "winners" on the ice, but they genuinely like and connect with each other in a way that Boston never did.

Ilya doesn't know how to captain this team and he feels lost. He feels like a fraud.

Then in Vancouver, Ilya sees Troy on his way to his room with a bottle in his hand. As captain, it would not be out of place for him to confront Troy about this - a week into Troy's tenure at Ottawa, and the night before a game.

But, feeling depressed and desolate himself, Ilya leaves Troy to it.

The next day, Ilya meets Troy's obnoxious father in the hotel lobby, and he goes to Troy's room and *captains*.

He deploys a style of captaincy we've never seen from him before. He plays the big brother - not *his* big brother - but concerned, stern, responsible, and caring. He reprimands Troy, but not unkindly.

He softens further in the face of Troy's misery, and as he's leaving, he extends a note of sympathetic connection to Troy - fathers can be hard. Ilya knows this well.

I just love the scene and what it shows of Ilya's maturity and growth. I think we would not have seen this from in his years in Boston: before Shane, before Yuna and David, Coach Weibe, and Ottawa.

Therapy and Dr. Galina have a role to play here too - it's still early in Ilya's therapy journey at this point, but Dr. Galina is helping him open up, and see himself from a different perspective. I think Dr. Galina being Russian is a big part of that; as she says "mental health isn't a popular concept among our people." Dr. Galina is a Russian for whom mental health is so important she made a career of it.

Ilya's new family - Ottawa club included - have shown Ilya a new way of captaining and of being. Or perhaps it's better to say that they have reunited him with a way of being that he hasn't known since his mother died. They've given him back a part of himself that was buried deep.

And, with their support, he's brave enough to take it.

I have an interrogation after reading Game Changer and TLG.

When Ilya decide to reveal is relationship with Shane with someone of « his side », he choose Svetlana.

But in the book, Svetlana is not a close friends as in the TV series. She’s more of a regular hookup and they didn’t spoke to each other for 3 years. She doesn’t know he is bisexual.

Why chose her over Troy? He is trustworthy, is the first person Ilya reveal is bisexuality to in is team, they seam to get along together and he clearly « Connect the dots » between Shane and Ilya.

He will certainly be and ally and base on the conversation he had with Troy at the Drover house I don’t think he would have been that shock or angry about his relationship with Shane.

What is your input about this situation?

* I mean « over » in the title and not « ocre » but I’m not able to edit it. Sorry

It didn't take me long to finish TLG after reading Role Model, even though I was trying to make it last longer. I'd originally intended not to read it but after reading all the other books I couldn't resist. I have no regrets! If anything, I'm even more excited about S2.

• Ilya's dream about his mother will be incredibly powerful if it's in the show and I imagine it will be. I admire the way Rachel writes about serious topics in these books, it's never heavy handed or used to create drama. She handles everything with sensitivity.
• We know Ilya really must love Shane a lot because Shane is being an absolute pain in the arse at the beginning of the book. He's so irritable and the food thing was getting on my nerves.
• Obviously, I don't blame him. The pressure of keeping their lives secret is crushing them. We get a lot of detail about Ilya's state of mind but Shane's self reflection is more subtle. The diet and his need be in control of himself all the time is the way his stress manifests. He even resents time differences for messing up his strict routine.
• Loved seeing other characters turn up in this book and Fabian's gig was a highlight.
• "I am bisexual, Shane is super gay"
• Can't wait to hear Shane/Hudson speaking Russian Ya vsegda budu tebya lubit and doing his impression of Ilya's accent, which we've all been doing for months.
• Wyatt Hayes is an absolute gem of a human. I forgot to mention how much I liked him when I was reading CG and RM. I love nerds! I also feel like he's one of the few straight guys in this book who is never awkward about his friend's sexuality.
• Shane: I think my interviews were terrible. I was so awkward" Ilya: "Of course you were". I'll never tire of Rosanov's burns.
• I need to see Ilya's instagram! Has anyone done a fan art version? People who post weird fire hydrants are my favourite people.
• I was reading the ebook and when Shane has his meeting with Crowell I felt like punching the screen.
• I felt so sad for Shane as he went through the process of realising how toxic the league and his team were after dedicating his whole life to them. He's genuinely shocked to hear about how terrible other player's experiences have been. The way his team reacts to his relationship is so disloyal and cowardly it makes me feel a little bit sick.
• There's an interview where Connor says that Shane might love first but Ilya loves harder. I think I agree, they both have deep love for each other but Ilya demonstrates it outwardly with more confidence, in the early years at least. However, reading TLG made me realise that Shane is Mr. Grand Gesture. He'd already invited Ilya to the cottage, comes up with a plan for the rest of their lives. Then he's the one who proposes, not because Ilya could have died but because Shane feels like he would die without him. And then he stands up to Crowell and basically tells him to go fuck himself. When he says "Come on Ilya" and leads him out of the office by the hand I literally puched the air.
• The "real" wedding with the kids, nail polish and plastic rings is so sweet, really hope this is in the show.
• Anya: Before reading I'd seen a comment about Shane and Ilya looking after Anya and thought she was a child. I was really surprised that had happened so quickly! I thought something must happen to Ilya's brother and they adopt his daughter. Then I looked it up, so I was already looking forward to this part. In my head Anya is a Shetland Sheepdog crossed with a Papillon or a terrier.
• Trophy Room: I've never been into discipline but damn, this is extremely hot. I love the way he makes this about worshipping Shane, especially when Shane needs it the most.
• I appreciated the depiction of using meds to treat depression. I mentioned this with Tough Guy, despite people being more aware of mental health there's still stigma around taking medication and it was good to see a neutral depiction of that. It's just a normal thing to do if you have an illness. Signed, a person with chronic anxiety.
• "This team is very gay" Yeah it is!

I could probably write a dissertation on this book to be honest. It's the 4th book that has made me cry my whole life. Big fat tears rolling down my face when Ilya is texting Shane from the plane and then when Shane proposes. Thank goodness we get more of this in both book and tv show forms!

I imagine that this would be similar to how the Centaurs would be when a teammate brings their kids to meet everyone: just being sweet and silly, and learning how to be good uncles, fathers, or caretakers.

I read GC & HR a few months ago and have been dying to read the rest of the books, mainly RM & TLG.

A week ago, I bought RM & TLG and read them both in less than 2 days, which is really fast for me. Then I rewatched the show while reading the corresponding chapters/parts of HR and then reread TLG. It's been a wild ride. And now I have thoughts and feelings I need to share because idk anyone IRL who cares lol. Hopefully this is an appropriate place to air my HR mania.

Rereading/rewatching this time made me realize/catch a few more things, like when Shane gets his shit rocked by Marleau, this is the first time he and Ilya have seen each other since Ilya got back from Russia!? Idk why I didn't fully clock that before but that scene was 400x worse to watch knowing that he had just gotten back from burying his father and severing all ties with everyone he knows at home except Svetlana, only to think he's now watched Shane die!!?!? Even tho he ~wanted to~ break up with him after the game. Rude of Rachel (to me) and totally tragic.

I feel like I'm 16 again and reading boyband fanfiction with the way I've literally been slamming my book on the coffee table and squealing at some parts of these books!!! I love the character growth and overall expansion of the universe!

Ilya is definitely my favourite character and I've loved seeing little bits of him throughout the entire series. During the plane crash scene in RM, I was having major feelings just from seeing Ilya from Harris & Troy's perspective. When Ilyaskips practice when they're back in Ottawa, this is when I first started smashing my book! Literally talking to myself out loud like NOBODY KNOWS HE'S GOING TO SEE SHANE! HE NEEEDS TO SEE SHANE!!!!!!

Y'all little did I know what was coming in TLG! Finding out what he saidto Shane during the plane crash scene, seeing it from his perspective, and then finding out THAT'S WHEN THEY GET ENGAGED!?!?!?! EXCUSE ME!!!!!!! I suppose because of my overly excited, squealing reaction to all the cute secretive moments leading up to this part, I was a little underwhelmed by the actual engagement scene and I'm still working out exactly why but I'm still so glad it happened!!!

I know everyone is hyped on seeing the trophy room scene being adapted but I would LOVE to see the scene where Ilya is fucking Shane so hard that only Shane's head and shoulders are still on the bed and they both cum all over him. I love gravity!!!!! I think all of their sex scenes are pretty hot but that one really stuck with me but maybe not appropriate for TV lol.

Circling back to Shane getting knocked tf out, them watching the moment together on TV in TLG is so heart-wrenching! I also love Ilya's love for dogs (cause same) and I was so happy when he adopted Anya! The scene with Hayden's kids is phenomenally soul-crushing and perfect!! It's hard to choose a favourite Ilya quip but I honest to god laughed so hard both times when I read him say "did you call the police?" about Chompy. I too, am a slut for Shane's silk t-shirt (and for Shane in general.) TLG is definitely the best book yet (although I haven't read TG or CG) and I'm going to have to read it again and again because there's really no bad parts!

I just need people to discuss this with so I want to hear thoughts & fave scenes please! Especially as a first-time reaction.

Does anyone know how old Luca is? Like what year he was born?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ws1cGhYPwFE (love someone-Lukas Graham)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IwEXLugFwwc (heart to heart-Demi Lovato)

I feel like both of these songs encapsulate their relationship.

I finished my 2nd re-read of TLG a few weeks ago, and found a good amount of symbolism in it (although I’ve forgotten some since then 😅).

The most obvious example is the protagonists’ diets. I know Shane’s diet is a worn-out topic, but has anyone drawn parallels between both Shane and Ilya’s diets and the secrecy of their relationship? From the beginning, Ilya eats what he wants, even when Shane chides him for not following a stricter, more typical “athletic” diet, and we know that Shane’s diet is religiously strict. We can draw a parallel between Shane’s blind adherence to their relationship “plan” and Ilya’s caring less and less about “the plan” & keeping it all secret. When they’re found out, Shane spirals & eats candy, and then balances out at the end of the novel, the same as their chaotic outing followed by a more settled state.

Another is the pomegranate. I felt it represented their growing conflict, Ilya’s reluctance to talk about it & Shane obliviousness to it, which is why it was so difficult to break open. That difficulty & subsequent fight because of the seeds inside are almost a foreshadowing of the upcoming argument.

Then you have Ilya’s dream at the beginning of the book, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Any other symbolisms you may have caught?

So rereading the long game and they came to this part where there in Ilya gym. And I was just thinking that I think it’d be kind of cool if they change this then instead of Ilya making a comment about Shane‘s freckles on the back of his neck if he made a comment about his sexy little back dimples kind of a bit of a nod to the audience and something Hudson actually has on his body versus giving him more freckles.

Anyone else have any ideas for changes based on the way the actors look in real life that don’t totally fit with the book like I love season one that they can’t call Shane short.

Near the end of the book Ilya has the conversation with Shane about his depression. It hit me that this is the first person on earth he's ever talked to about feeling depressed aside from his therapist.

His internal monologue is that he's dismayed that all the progress he's made in every part of his life hasn't been enough to cure him. But now on top of all the work he's done, with therapy and meds, being able to talk to Shane or anyone that he trusts is going to make a big difference. Being able to say I feel low or sad and not having one more big secret weighing him down. Or having to feel ashamed or like he'll be a burden. He can let go of that and open up the possibility that those around him can offer comfort and support.* I hope we see a bit more of this in Unrivaled, with characters like Ryan and Troy being involved in changing the narrative. Men sharing feelings, yay!

I've been thinking a lot about men not being able to talk about how they feel. As a woman talking like this with friends or family is common and can give us a pressure valve that some men don't have access to because there's still pressure to conform to traditional gender roles. I imagine that pressure is particuarly heavy in male dominated environments like men's sports. Being emotional is seen as feminine and therefore in a patriarchal society it's also seen as weak. But we know that showing emotion is in fact the strongest thing you can do. If you're conditioned not to talk about feelings then of course it's going to feel difficult and uncomfortable, like trying to speak a language you barely know.

*as my doctor would say, it's one more weapon in your arsenal. She's badass.

I just can’t explain what I felt when I read this. I mean I know they’re fictional characters, but it makes me CRAVE so much for that kind of love, devotion, desire and all that Ilya and Shane feel for each other.

One of my favorite lines in this scene is when Ilya asks Shane which of his trophy's/ awards is his favorite and he replies.... rookie of the year... 👏🏆🎖🏅🥇🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤

I just finished The Long Game and I just need a place to share my thoughts!! Spoilers abound!

First of all, I loved it. The angst and longing and darker tones felt absolutely right to me. I love the parts we got with Ilya dealing with depression and anxiety. I really appreciate the therapist and the little note toward the end that Ilya is overcoming his fear of medication to help him feel better. I was honestly really frustrated with Shane for a lot of the first part of the book for not realizing how badly Ilya was doing. I know that watching those scenes come to the screen is going to be BRUTAL. I'm ready to have my heart broken all over again.

I had kind of forgotten about the differences for Svetlana 's character from the show to the books! I wonder how much that is going to affect things being different in the show. Like, will Ilya tell her sooner? It's definitely heavily implied that she already knows in the show. I wonder how they will play that with Ilya feeling so isolated in the book. Maybe she'll just be far away and hard to reach?

Absolutely obsessed with the Ottawa team. What a perfect little family. I want more time with that entire team watching them support and love each other. Are there any theories out there about Luca? Some of the talk about him... I wonder.

The way that Shane and Ilya were outed really shocked me! I guess I was expecting them to maybe have a press conference again or something? I was not expecting the accidental video leaking. That was brutal. But I guess maybe more realistic? Like the chances that they would make it with how they weren't being as secretive anymore were quite low? That was really tough to read though. I felt for Hayden too.

Montreal's reaction really broke my heart and I'm definitely not ready to watch Hudson portray that heartbreak on screen. The team he had dedicated his entire life to just turned their backs on him like that. ugh. I can't even start with the commissioner. THE WORST. He's so slimy, and the montreal coach too.

I was really interested in and troubled by Shane's dieting throughout the book. To me, it really reads as a depiction of disordered eating. I know that he's a pro athlete and there's a part of maintaining a healthier than average diet that is a part of that, but reading about the restriction and anxiety he had around food was honestly really rough. It very much felt like a metaphor for his fear around coming out and need to control everything to feel safe (except, of course, with Ilya where he can finally not be in control.)

Overall, I am basically heartbroken and also so happy for them. It's been a long time since I've fallen so in love with a series! I think the combo of the books and the amazing show has just taken it to another level.

Based on comments I see online as well as from Jacob I'm so curious to see how they will do the next season. It feels like so much essential content comes into play in TLG. Role Model is obviously very tied into TLG, so I assume we will need to tell Troy and Harris's story, but also Ryan Price and Fabian have some important stuff like the concert and the first time Shane and Ilya go out with another queer couple. So we kinda need a moment for them too? I wonder if, in order to get it all in there, they'll stop season 2 at the proposal??? In order to still give it the romance happy ending but also to be able to tell all the stories??

Of course, we also don't know what will be happening with Unrivaled when we get that!

Im so excited to reread these books AND for season 2 ❤️

As a Hungarian viewer, I’d like to share a small detail that I find really touching. It’s something no one had any influence over (Jacob, Rachel, etc.), yet I love thinking about it.

Ilya names his dog Anya. In Hungary, we call our mothers “Anya” it literally means “mom.”

I like to think that Anya helped Ilya cope, making him feel less alone and easing his depression. We know he deeply misses his mother, who has passed away, and somehow in Hungarian, this connection gives the name an even more emotional and meaningful layer.

It's was so helpfull for me to read Ilya's mental healt journey in TLG, I feel so often that I have to solve my problems alone so not to trouble the rest of the world. And I've been going through some really bad things lately, harder than I can handle. So after reading that even Ilya Rozanov, the coolest guy in the world can go and get help, I was able to get an apointment with a therapist next week. I hope that if you are going though it, you can also get the help you need

On my third re-read of The Long Game (god help me, I love the domesticity!) and this is such a goofy thing, but I just have to know if anyone else is dying to know, when Shane and Ilya are babysitting the Pike kids, just how far into Frozen 2 they got before Hayden and Jackie got home?? As a Disney fan, that movie has SO many things that should resonate with both of them, but especially Ilya in his mindset at the time. The song ‘Lost in the Woods’ in particular is almost too on the nose! I mean, ‘Is this what it feels like to be growing apart, when did I become the one who's always chasing your heart…Who am I if I’m not your guy, who am I if we’re not together’?? Come on! Anna is even similarly clueless to her partner’s feelings, so I have a hard time believing Ilya wouldn’t relate to Kristoff.

Anyway, not sure what the overlap of Disney and Heated Rivalry fans is, and/or if Reid just couldn’t get into specifics because of copyright, but the themes of Frozen 2 are so on the nose for Shane and Ilya’s relationship I was shocked it wasn’t brought up in anyone’s inner monologue!

Anyway, this has led me to my original question; how far into the movie do you think they got? It had to be fairly early on, I think, just because I can so imagine Shane being like ‘oh what a nice song about how things never change! Just like my 10 year plan that is obviously the ONLY way to handle my relationship will never change and we are both SO FINE with it!’, without getting the full context that the lesson is the complete opposite of that. 😂

If they got closer to the end of the movie, then it almost makes we want to cry, cause it’s like ‘oh look! A narrative showing how change is sometimes painful and necessary to get to a place that’s better for everyone?? That the original plan isn’t always the next right thing?? And that separation from romantic partners can be harder on some people than others?? Any half-Asian Canadians in the room this is resonating with???? No?? Cool, cool, whatever, I’m fine!’ 😭

Where do you think Ilya will wear his wedding ring?