Ilya Rozanov is not the only one who comes to the cottage.
Anyone can now visit the famous location where Elijah and Shane Hollander retreated in the emotional finale of HBO’s “Heated Rivals.” The cottage will be listed on Airbnb next month, allowing fans to enjoy one of the show’s most iconic and hottest locations.
For a short period of time before regular reservations open for this property, guests can book for CAD 248.10 ($181) per night. This is a reference to Shane and Elijah’s jersey numbers. Airbnb hasn’t disclosed how much the rental fee will be after that period.
Guests have access to the property’s three bedrooms and large open-plan living space, along with a private dock on the lake and a home gym.
Located on the shores of Lake Musoka, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Toronto, the cottage symbolizes a new beginning of sorts for Elijah and Shane, rival professional hockey players played by Connor Storey and Hudson Williams, respectively.
After five episodes of the pair cooping themselves in a closet for fear of coming out to the hyper-masculine world of professional hockey and secretly hooking up in an anonymous hotel room, the cottage’s dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows provided a visual metaphor for a sense of openness that hadn’t existed before.
Ilya’s announcement that he was “coming to the cottage”, as he and Shane separately watched as another professional hockey player invited his partner onto the ice and openly kissed him after winning the Cup Final, marked a turning point in the fictional world’s perception of same-sex relationships in sports. Previously, Elijah had turned down Shane’s invitation to join him on his summer trip, so simply going there itself meant a kind of commitment.
Later, Shane’s father accidentally witnesses the couple kissing. Initially panicking, Shane comes out to his parents and reveals his relationship with Elijah.
“Rivals” has become a pop culture phenomenon since its release, sparking new interest in hockey, winning praise for its nuanced portrayal of closeted LGBTQ+ relationships, and making stars of its lead duo and Cottage alike.
“We didn’t know how big it would be once it opened to the public,” said Alisha Bishop, senior associate at Trevor McIvor Architects, which designed the cottage.
Despite being entirely glass-enclosed, the cottage is “actually very difficult to spot from the lake,” she told Architects Paper in January.
“From the outside, this doesn’t seem to offer any privacy, but once you enter the space, it becomes very private.”
