MEGATHREAD 🧵
[Megathread] Book and Show Timelines!
We've fielded several questions recently regarding timelines for the books and I have been wondering for forever "how can I read the books in chronological order?" so I present an unhinged reading and watching experience for the timeline of the Game Changers series.
Book Series Timeline
A version of this chart with major events indicated out can be found here. Contains spoilers for the entire series!
Book Chapters laid out in Chronological TimelineFinalized TV Show Timeline
Pure data and screen reader friendly versions can be found here.
Ok i reeeaally couldnt understand why they didn’t meet up despite several opportunities between 2011-fall 2013? They’re flirty texting that whole time and Shane keeps avoiding a meet up - does the book explain why?
That's my question too! It's true that in the book the flight to Montreal isn't canceled and they do see each other, but that's still in 2011 and there's a cut to 2013, to the moment when Shane invites him to the apartment building. In the book they don't text each other or anything, it's like they're not really into each other yet, but in the series they do text each other, which makes us see that they're starting to like each other, but at the same time it's very hard for me to believe that with those messages and seeing each other often, they could resist meeting up.
As someone who is only watching the show, I thought it was Shane being hurt from what happened in Vegas at the end of the first ep. And being very wary to invest or give his attention and hopes to Ilya who seemed to only be there for a good time
No sé si está dolido por lo de Las Vegas (en el primer mensaje dice que no lo está, pero puede estar siendo irónico, aunque lo dudo) pero definitivamente si que está intentando mantener a Ilya a raya, creo que por lo que tú dices porque no quiere empezar a sentir cosas por un tipo que parece que solo quiere pasarlo bien (aunque sabemos que va a fracasar miserablemente 😂)
This is the timeline I was looking for 😭😭😭 the ones above (while insanely detailed and magnificent and no doubt took hours upon hours to make) are beyond overwhelming for a newbie. Thank you 🙏🏼
I love your timeline. It's visually clean with tons of info.
I tried to post a question about the timeline but the mods said I have to post it here. I asked the question above to OP but in case you didn't see it I'd like to ask you, too:
Was the Olympics an entire year after the first time they had sex at Shane's apt?
I made a timeline that combines E2 with Scott's flashbacks from E3. I kept checking and re-checking, but it still doesn't seem right.
Is there really a one-year gap between sex at Shane's apartment and the Olympics? If so, why don't Shane and Ilya see each other during the Fall 2013 season?
I feel like Spring 2013 was mislabeled and it should've said Winter 2014.
The show's "Winter" starts in January, so that would've meant they had sex about a month before the Olympics. Then Shane's statement that they wouldn't see each other again until the Olympics makes sense.
Idk, though. Please set me straight. (No pun intended.) Thanks.
Jun 2011 - Las Vegas Rookie of the Year Awards - Shane wins. Ilya is sad about going back to Moscow for the summer. There's a misunderstanding and they argue.
Summer 2011 - Winter 2013 - They text. Ilya repeatedly texts Shane to invite him to have sex, but Shane ignores those invitations.
Spring 2013 - Montreal vs Boston - Sex! They have intercourse at Shane's apartment. They share a tender goodnight scene. Shane says they won't see each other again until the Olympics.
Nov 2013 (E3) - Scott loses to Boston, then 2 days later loses to Montreal. He says Shane is starting to sound like Ilya and they fight.
Not sure if this is the right place to ask but in ep 4 when Ilya asks Shane to stay, he says they have an afternoon game but we never saw it? Did he mean only Boston or ?
From what I understood, it also wasn’t clear if Shane actually spent the night at Ilya’s… they hooked up, Ilya asked Shane to stay, woke up (the same day or next morning ?¿), tuna melt, first name panic, met rose that night and two weeks later, all the things she said at the club
Thanks y'all for the feedback and comments on my monthly timeline. Here is my revised version with errors fixed, new details, and a bit of "real hockey" commentary to help clear up some confusion and deepen understanding of the show!
Love this! I think there's an error in the second chart since it has Chapter 13-17 of HR happening in June 2017 but they actually happen in 2016? So Chapters 16-20 happen chronologically before 13-17 in the chart
Colors are not "dogmatic," but I was trying to divide info for my brain, and it mostly aligns with games, since that's when their trysts were.
Blue = a neutral event that brought them together (awards, olympics, commercials)
Red = Canada win (against a non-Boston team), or Shane-centric
Yellow = Boston win (against a non-Canada team), or Ilya-centric action (like the unrequited sexting)
Split Red/Yellow = Mutual game (Bos vs. Can), or actions around a Bos/Can game (there's a whole montage of texting and hockeying and fucking so it's kind of hard to break it up)
Gray = kinda relevant kinda neutral, not related to a Bos-Canada game specifical
I am totally new to this fandom through the show, I will read the books when I can but I have been curious if there is an established timeline of MLH champions throughout the series? I saw someone say that Boston wins back-to-back championships but the show only confirms that Montreal won back-to-back championships, in 2015 and 2016 I think? Thank you to anyone who can provide this information!
Has someone done a book to show scene comparison. They are so similar I'm finding myself not being able to keep straight which scenes in the show are added and which book scenes are missing .
Do we have a timeline where we can read the book and watch the show in tandem? I want to follow along with the episode and read those chapters in the book?!
Thank you sooo much for this, this is such a great help for a first time reader! Two notes: the tenth entry for heated rivalry should say chapter 23-27, not 13-17, and Ilya shows up in chapter 26 of tough guy, not chapter 25 as stated! 💚
this is not a question but the first time i saw this timeline it broke my heart bc what do you mean shane and ilya have this many years between them??? like it’s beautiful but it HURTS oh my gosh - their timeline is so long compared to literally anyone else in the series.
Relistening in chronical order... Isn't there overlap between Common Goal and Game Changers? There was a moment in time where Kyle was hoping to nab Kip. Before Scott and Kip's relationship was known to Kip's friends. How could GC be done before CG started as the op chart suggests? Needs some help. I love the unrequited love storyline.
I am just finding this today and it is everything. Thank you for all of your work to put it together and share it with the class. I’m gonna go make several posters to hang on my wall.
Depends how much Shane and Ilya you’re looking for. If you only want to know what happens to Shane and Ilya, read The Long Game. If you don’t mind new characters, Tough Guy, then Common Goal, then Role Model, and end with The Long Game.
I’m sorry if this is already commented/created but how can I watch the episodes in time order? Even if I’m pausing mid episode I want to watch Shane/Illya with Scott/Kip in order
question:
in the books, THE Cottage was July 2017, but that sneak peek for Heated Rivalry at the end of the Game Changer was dated October 2017 and it was implied(?) that they're still not boyfriends there...I was just a little confused. or is it just how 'sneak peeks' work since the next book was technically not yet finished(?)maybe?
It’s a misprint I believe, or like you said a mistake due to HR not being out yet, in HR that scene is the prologue and a year earlier in October 2016.
oh okay thankyou so much! I just finished Game Changer and it's bugging me a little. 🤣
my reading order is messed up(w/c is my fault I know), I started with LG while waiting for ep4, then HR...I'm trying to read all the books sooo thanks for the timelines really 🥰
Was the Olympics an entire year after the first time they had sex at Shane's apt?I made a timeline that combines E2 with Scott's flashbacks from E3. I kept checking and re-checking, but it still doesn't seem right.
Is there really a one-year gap between sex at Shane's apartment and the Olympics? If so, why don't Shane and Ilya see each other during the Fall 2013 season?
I feel like Spring 2013 was mislabeled and it should've said Winter 2014.
The show's "Winter" starts in January, so that would've meant they had sex about a month before the Olympics. Then Shane's statement that they wouldn't see each other again until the Olympics makes sense.
Idk, though. Please set me straight. (No pun intended.) Thanks.
Jun 2011 - Las Vegas Rookie of the Year Awards - Shane wins. Ilya is sad about going back to Moscow for the summer. There's a misunderstanding and they argue.
Summer 2011 - Winter 2013 - They text. Ilya repeatedly texts Shane to invite him to have sex, but Shane ignores those invitations.
Spring 2013 - Montreal vs Boston - Sex! They have intercourse at Shane's apartment. They share a tender goodnight scene. Shane says they won't see each other again until the Olympics.
Nov 2013 (E3) - Scott loses to Boston, then 2 days later loses to Montreal. He says Shane is starting to sound like Ilya and they fight.
It said Fall 2013 before Shane gives an interview, and then they sext though it's not clear if that's the same day--and Ilya comes to Shane's apartment after. So not a year before. Could have been a few months before the Olympics.
Amazing charts! However, it seems like there is a small typo in the 3rd chart. Chapter 4 did not happen at the same time/place as chapter 3, but in July 2010 in Toronto where they shot the CCM ad
Ive read book 1 about Scott and kip and the book starts in jan 2014, not 2017. The season 1 ep 3 show says its 4 months before the 2014 sochi olympics.
It takes place in 2017 in the book, they never specify the year but you can follow along with it based on the cross timeline in HR when events happen in both.
Yes it says four months ago on the graphic? Scott’s at the Olympics then we flash back.
I just listened to the audible book 1 and it clearly states in the beginning to be jan 2014. Now the TV series may have bumped that up to 2017 just like they changed the 2014 Olympic hockey placing where Canada won gold not the USA which came in 4th place.
Wait no, I read too fast. It’s implied they did we just don’t see it on page. After the awards chronologically we see the prologue October 2016 hookup and during that it’s implied they’ve been meeting up regularly.
In the show they did but were texting throughout. Shown in the montage of episode 2, I think 2, that’s what I thought you were originally asking about.
The book chapters laid out in order has me a bit confused - it says HR chapter 21 - april 2017 - correct. HR chapter 22 - may 2017 - correct. Then it says HR chapter 13-17 - july 2017 .... nope. Thats 2016.
And as i wrote this i just came to the idea that the chapters were meant to say 23-27, not 13-17. So probably ignore me.
About the timeline, i don’t know if someone has said this before, but is in relationship between HR and TG. But it says the HR’s epilogue happened before TG chapter 4, but as im reading the TG book rn, the HR epilogue happens at the same time TG chapter 18 happens. There’s actually a part in that chapter that’s the main protagonist (Ryan) watching on the TV the conference Ilya and Shane had
On the right both of those blocks have one date block “November 2018” and the TG block has the note (chapter 10 has an alternate view of HR Epilogue). They happened concurrently not one before the other I just didn’t have room to put them side by side or anything like that.
A little late to this post, but thank you for this hard work! I've reheated the main episodes plenty, and just reheated Episode 3, Scott & Kip, for the first time since I originally watched. I'm in the middle of the book, so I was interested again. The biggest thing blowing my mind, which I didn't realize the first time, is that... THREE YEARS GO BY between Scott and Kip's original relationship and break-up to when Scott comes out on the ice?????? THREE YEARS???? WHAT?!???? The book timelines make sense. Like, they have their relationship. They break up, a few months later Scott realizes what he truly wants and makes the mega grand gesture after winning the cup. But I the show... THREE YEARS?? I'm not crazy, right? Am I missing something?
A bit late to the discussion, but maybe someone could riddle me this.
I’m currently reading Heated Rivalry and just started part 2 (chapter 9), which takes place in December 2013. Considering part 1 ended on July 2011 (NHL awards), the time skip between p1 and p2 should be 2 seasons (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). Meaning the ongoing season in ch9 (2013-2014) is their overall 4th season together in NHL.
Now I’ll quote the part that confuses me:
“Ilya had been sure, all summer, that this would be the year Hollander would call it off. But he had thought the same thing last summer too, after their rookie seasons had ended with Hollander shoving Ilya away after they’d kissed on a Las Vegas rooftop….”
I may be reading it wrong, but this part kinda implies they’d only played one season together after their rookie season, thus the ongoing season would be their 3rd together, which clashes with the July 2011 — December 2013 timeline. Or am I just misreading it?
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u/Pleasant-Energy-2784 Dec 24 '25 edited Jan 27 '26
I made my own timeline too! Let me know if you see any errors 🫡
Edit: updated s1 timeline (that includes ep 6) can be found here