Free Press writers discuss the blazing phenomenon of Heated Rivalry

Everyone is talking about Heated Rivalry.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the gay hockey romance from Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny, Shoresy) — based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels about the secret relationship between professional hockey players and on-ice rivals Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) — is dominating the cultural discourse. From think pieces to interviews to fan art to endless TikToks and memes, Heated Rivalry clearly has people hot and bothered.

So we thought we’d talk about it, too. Here, Free Press arts reporters AV Kitching, Eva Wasney and Jen Zoratti and sports reporter Jeff Hamilton parse what makes Heated Rivalry such a phenomenon, what it could do for hockey culture and why sometimes art needs to be a soft place to land. Warning: some spoilers ahead.

Eva Wasney: Why has this show become such a massive global hit?

Decluttering doesn’t have to be overwhelming

Your to-be-read pile is teetering over the edge of the bedside table, there’s a container labelled oats in the pantry housing an assortment of pasta and the basement floor is covered in toys that haven’t been played with in years.

If you planned to whittle down your to-do list just before the new year but have yet to mark even one task off, don’t despair.

Enter Mandy Berndsen, 47, saviour of the overwhelmed, the overtired and the overstimulated.

The owner of Calm the Chaos Assistant is a declutter and organizer extraordinaire who promises to help get your home, and perhaps even your life, back on track.

Pimicikamak’s $20-M in unpaid Hydro bills pales in comparison to what Hydro owes First Nation, chief says

To underline its anger over unresolved compensation from the 1977 Northern Flood Agreement, the Pimicikamak (Cross Lake) Cree Nation stopped paying its electricity bills from Manitoba Hydro about 10 years ago. Now, the remote First Nation owes more than $20 million in arrears on its residential accounts.

Winterruption festival has become a frozen tentpole event for music fans

While Manitoba boasts one of the richest, most eclectic summer festival ecosystems in the country, Winterruption — co-produced by Real Love Winnipeg and the West End Cultural Centre — has become a frozen tentpole event for music fans in Winnipeg.

Don’t miss these must-see spots, experiences on next Tokyo trip

You can spend a lifetime in Tokyo and still not experience everything the city has to offer.

That’s what makes Japan’s bustling capital so captivating. It’s also what makes it so overwhelming if you’ve never been before.

If you’re fortunate enough to be going in the near future, here are five things you might not know that could help you squeeze everything out of your Tokyo trip.

Sumo wrestlingWith it being their national sport, there must be events every week, right?

New Music Festival explores theme of technology amid global rise of AI

This year’s New Music Festival runs Jan. 21-29 and includes six events.

Silver linings aplenty for Langelaar after missing Olympic berth

Tyson Langelaar was a fan of James Bond movies growing up. The spy series a staple for him on plane rides.

This 007, however, did not capture the Winnipeg-born speed skaters’ heart — it broke it.

One of the most agonizing results of Langelaar’s career came recently at the Canadian Olympic speed skating trials in Quebec City, where he saw his dream of representing Canada at next month’s Olympic Games in Italy instantly melt away.

Langelaar, who needed a top-two finish in the men’s 1,500-metre event, finished in third with a time of 1:46:883. The difference between him and second-place Daniel Hall was a fraction of a skate blade or, more accurately, seven hundredths of a second.

Toys “R” Us store on St. Matthews shuttering

Now that Jordan Pastushenko is a father, toys are back on his radar.

“With the little one, I do have to think about it a bit more,” he said, as he visited the Toys “R” Us at 1445 St. Matthews Ave. with his wife, Breanne, and their nine-month-old son, Bohden, on Wednesday morning.

Employees put a sign up in the Polo Park area store’s front window earlier this week notifying customers the longtime location will be closing. “Everything must go!” the sign says. It does not specify when the Winnipeg store’s last day in business will be.

Pastushenko saw a photo of the sign online, which inspired his trip to the store. “We have gift cards, so I guess we’ve got to use them,” he said.

Team Lawes makes Scotties Tournament of Hearts final spot on points

Team Kaitlyn Lawes is headed to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts by the slimmest of margins.

Their fate was no longer in their hands after losing to Beth Peterson in the Manitoba women’s curling provincial final in Rivers earlier this month.

“Honestly, I assumed we were hooped,” Lawes told the Free Press in a chat on Tuesday.

“I hadn’t looked at (the Canadian Team Ranking System) before provincials and we just had the goal in mind of going in there and wanting to win and earn our spot. And after the game was over, we had some texts from people saying, ‘Don’t be too upset, we think there’s a chance that you’re in.’”

Stage adaptation of Agatha Christie classic takes killer off-the-rails approach

To concoct the locomotive set design for Murder on the Orient Express, Brian Perchaluk harkened back to his days working on the railroad.

Before punching his ticket to the National Theatre School in the 1980s, the Roblin-raised Perchaluk collected summer paycheques as a member of CN Rail’s extra gangs.

“One summer, me and another guy tightened all the bolts between Winnipeg and Emerson,” says Perchaluk, who has designed over 40 sets for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.

No offence to the southern Manitoba flatlands, but Orient Express required Perchaluk to imagine a train rolling between vastly more opulent terminals — Istanbul, Turkey and Calais, France.

Building Blocks, Crumbling Foundation: Child Care in Crisis

A six-part investigation into the state of child care in Manitoba, examining the underlying issues that put kids and families at risk.

Landmarks: Exploring unique and iconic Winnipeg locations

Landmarks is a monthly feature in which columnist Alison Gillmor explores unique and iconic Winnipeg buildings and locations.

Rich colours, nature-inspired hues key decorating trends for 2026

Forget featureless white walls and cold, pale floors, a warm, rich colour palette is one of the key decorating trends this year — and it won’t break the budget to update your house if repainting isn’t on the cards.

Despite Pantone’s announcement of a “soft, serene and versatile” shade of white as 2026’s colour, interior designers and decorators are eschewing Cloud Dancer, informally christened “the landlord’s special,” for richer, jewel- and nature-inspired hues such as soft ochre, deep green and earthy brown.

Moving away from the sleek, clinical practicality of flat minimalism, this year’s trends reflect the uncertain political, social and economic climate, firmly re-establishing the home as a place of safety, comfort and refuge.

“Spaces that are overly minimal can feel empty and dated,” says Michelle Chisick, interior designer at Interior Illusions on Princess Street.

Stars take a shine to Manitoba: Hollywood actors enjoy what our oft-maligned home has to offer

Lately, it feels like Winnipeg has been teeming with film sets and the actors that come with them. A few local businesses — and an entire rural town — have made lasting impressions.

Patient activists seek movement in diagnosis, treatment of FND or functional neurological disorder

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is often described as an invisible illness.

The condition affects how the brain processes information and communicates with the body, resulting in a wide range of physical and neurological symptoms that differ from person to person. Unlike structural brain issues — such as tumours, strokes or lesions — functional neurological disorder (FND) symptoms don’t show up in conventional diagnostic testing and imaging.

This common, gendered disorder traces its roots to hysteria; yet, centuries later, its causes and mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Winnipeg academic Jen Sebring is among those working to make this invisible illness more visible in Canada.