THE CONFESSION THAT BROKE THE ICE
The hyper-masculine, notoriously tight-lipped world of hockey just got hit with a massive reality check. Jesse Kortuem has officially come out as gay, and he is not holding back on the brutal details of living a double life in a sport that demands conformity. This isn’t just a standard press release; this is a raw, emotional data dump that exposes the sheer terror closeted athletes face every single day.
In a move that has fans and insiders reeling, Kortuem credits his sudden bravery to an unlikely source: the steamy, scandal-filled Crave and HBO Max hit series, Heated Rivalry. While the show features fictional heavy hitters Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov tearing up the sheets and the ice, Kortuem says the on-screen drama hit a little too close to home for the real-world athletes hiding in the shadows.
Kortuem spilled his guts to Out magazine on Wednesday, January , dropping a quote that is sure to have team PR reps sweating bullets. He explicitly mentioned that “many closeted and gay men in the hockey world are being hit hard” by the show’s success. Read between the lines, folks: he is signaling that the locker rooms are full of secrets, and the dam is about to break.
“Finally someone said it. The silence in hockey is deafening. Good for Jesse for exposing how tough it really is.”
The timing is suspicious, the emotions are raw, and the implications are massive. Kortuem admits he struggled for weeks to put these feelings into words, paralyzed by the fear of “team dynamics.” That is code for the terrifying prospect of being ostracized by the very “brotherhood” these teams claim to uphold. This isn’t just a personal story; it is an indictment of a culture that forces men to choose between their identity and their jersey.
THE TOXIC LOCKER ROOM CULTURE EXPOSED
Let’s get into the dirt of what Kortuem actually lived through. In a Facebook post that dropped on Tuesday, January , he painted a grim picture of his younger years. We aren’t talking about simple nervousness; we are talking about a “constant state of dichotomy” and persistent fear. This guy was living a full-blown lie while playing one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet.
Kortuem grew up in Minnesota, the self-proclaimed “StateOfHockey.” If you know anything about the culture there, you know it is a pressure cooker. He describes a world where sports weren’t just a hobby; they were an identity. But for Kortuem, that identity was a cage. He admitted that as a teenager, he carried a weight that didn’t fit into that world. He loved the game, but he was terrified of the players next to him.
The most damning part of his confession? He explicitly stated, “To my younger self, that identity could never be revealed.” He believed his sexuality and his sport were like oil and water. They couldn’t mix. He was convinced that coming out would be a “social disaster.” Think about that. A kid willing to walk away from his dreams because he thought his existence would be a disaster. That is the kind of psychological warfare these athletes are fighting internally.
THE “HEATED RIVALRY” EFFECT
This is where the story takes a Hollywood turn. The show Heated Rivalry, based on Rachel Reid’s spicy book series Game Changers, follows the forbidden romance between two rival players. It is fiction, but for Kortuem, it was a mirror. The show stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, and their portrayal of closeted chaos sparked something real in Kortuem.
Kortuem told the press, “Never in my life did I think something so positive and loving could come from such a masculine sport.” It is a scathing review of his actual experience versus the fictionalized hope. The show has been renewed for a second season, and with real-world players now citing it as their wake-up call, you can bet the writers’ room is paying attention. Life imitating art, or art exposing life?
“I bet the NHL is shaking right now. If a TV show can make players come out, what happens when Season drops?”
The show’s stars have already been catapulted to fame, but this real-world endorsement adds a layer of grit that no marketing campaign could buy. Kortuem’s admission that the show “sparked” his decision proves that representation isn’t just a buzzword; it is a literal lifeline for guys trapped in the toxic masculinity of pro sports.
LIVING A LIE: FAKE DATING AND SECRET LIVES
If you think we are exaggerating the “double life” aspect, think again. Kortuem went into agonizing detail about the lengths he went to in order to blend in. This wasn’t just about staying silent; it was about active deception. He admits to being “that kid in Minnesota hiding” even as an adult playing at a high level.
The specific details are heartbreaking and infuriating. He talked about being in locker rooms with guys he respected, yet feeling totally unsafe. When the conversation turned to wives, families, or dating—the standard locker room banter—Kortuem would “quickly change the subject.”
Even worse? He admits to straight-up lying. “If it came down to it, I would just tell them I was single, even when I was seeing someone.” Imagine the mental toll of having a partner, falling in love, and having to pretend you are a lonely bachelor just to avoid being the outcast “gay player.” He feared that revealing his true self would change everything in an instant. That is not paranoia; that is a survival instinct in a hostile environment.
WALKING AWAY FROM THE BROTHERHOOD
The tragedy of this story is what the sport lost. At years old, right in the prime of his development, Kortuem walked away. He quit the high school team and abandoned the “brotherhood” of hockey friendships he had built since childhood. Why? Because the pressure was too much. The fear of being outed or rejected outweighed the love of the game.
He says it would have been a “social disaster” at his large high school. This paints a brutal picture of the mid-s sports culture, but let’s be real—has it changed that much? Kortuem returned to the ice as an adult, playing at a high level, but the closet door stayed firmly shut. He still couldn’t bring himself to be fully out on his adult teams.
This highlights a massive issue in sports recruitment and retention. How many elite athletes have we lost because they simply couldn’t handle the toxic culture? Kortuem is one who came back, but the numbers of those who didn’t must be staggering.
FINDING PEACE IN THE UNDERGROUND
It wasn’t until that Kortuem found a lifeline. He stumbled into a gay hockey tournament, and he describes the experience as life-changing. Suddenly, the two worlds he thought were incompatible—hockey and being gay—collided in the best way possible.
He now plays for the Cutting Edges Hockey Club, an LGBTQIA+ team in Vancouver. He is also connecting with teams in Toronto (the Misfits) and across the US. It is a shadowy underground network of inclusive sports that shouldn’t have to exist in the shadows, but absolutely does.
Kortuem writes that it has been a “long, vulnerable road to move past the closeted athlete persona.” He admits he is still working on it today. The trauma of hiding for decades doesn’t just vanish overnight, even with a supportive team. But he claims he has finally found his peace and believes “there is room for all of us on the ice.”
“So happy he found the Cutting Edges! But it’s sad he had to go to a specific gay league to feel safe. Do better, hockey.”
THE CLIFFHANGER: WHO IS NEXT?
Kortuem ended his confession with a message to the athletes still hiding in the dark. “I want you to know that there is hope and you’re not alone.” It is a beautiful sentiment, but it is also a warning shot to the establishment. He knows they are out there. He knows the fear they are feeling because he lived it.
With Heated Rivalry getting renewed and players like Kortuem breaking the silence, the pressure is mounting on the major leagues to address the elephant in the room. There are whispers, there are rumors, and now there is a precedent.
Is Kortuem the first domino to fall in a massive chain reaction? Will we see a current NHL star take the leap, inspired by this movement? The locker room doors are cracking open, and the secrets are starting to spill out. Stay tuned, because this game is just getting started, and the next period is going to be chaotic.
