Anyone who watched the smash Crave hit Heated Rivalry might have seen some local players on the ice and not even have known it.
Members of the University of Guelph Gryphons hockey team offered their expertise, and their bodies, to lend some authenticity to the show.
The show revolves around players in the fictional Major League Hockey world, with actors taking on the roles of some of the league’s stars. However, the production crew needed help to ensure the actors looked like the on-ice superstars they were portraying.
Jonah De Simone, a former Gryphon right-winger who has also played for the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara IceDogs, stepped in as a body double for Hudson Williams who plays Shane Hollander, one of the show’s leads.
“I had two concussions last year, so I decided to step away from the team,” said De Simone, who added that his on-ice career was revived in a roundabout way. “I knew there was going to be a gay hockey show filming in Guelph and then someone on production reached out to our coach looking for some extras.”
When audiences watch Hollander win a face-off, glide across the ice or find the twine, that is likely De Simone they’re seeing.
De Simone said it was fun experience to be part of and jokingly clarified which scenes he stepped in as a body double for, given the spicey and romantic plot.
“No, only the on-ice scenes,” he said, chuckling.
The show is based on the second book in the Game Changer series, written by Canadian author Rachel Reid.
De Simone said everyone on set was invested in the story and cared about doing it justice.
“For the all-star scene sequence in one of the first two episodes, I spent like an hour working with Hudson on how would it look when I’m shooting,” said De Simone.
When De Simone stepped onto the ice at the Sleeman Centre to be part of the crew creating television magic, he had no idea what was in store.
He said they had to ensure everything between him and Williams was identical – from how their sticks were taped to how their skates were tied. De Simone said he even offered some advice on chirps.
“I get chirped for being a bad chirper … but he gave me a lowdown of one [particular] scene and I was like I would say, ‘Go home! Go Home!’” said De Simone. “I think it was a good chirp and apparently everyone thought it was very fitting for the character that he’s a bad chirper. I thought it was kind of good,” he said, laughing.
De Simone isn’t the only Gryphon on the ice.
Men’s head coach Josh Dixon can also be spotted playing the coach of Team Canada. Dixon was originally hired as a hockey consultant.
“As people in hockey, we’re always looking to grow the game,” he said. “To raise awareness for the LGBTQ2IA community who exists in hockey is great. It’s been impressive how wide-ranging the show’s impact has been. The number of times you hear the show referenced, people are watching and paying attention.”
Heated Rivalries was filmed, in part, in Guelph, Hamilton, Muskoka and Toronto.
Crave, which is owned by CTV parent company Bell Media, has greenlit the show for a second season. A release date has yet to be announced.
De Simone hopes he’ll return as a body double.
“I’m just waiting for the call,” he said. “I’ll come back with some better chirps for next season.”
