Sometimes life imitates art. In 2019, Canadian author Rachel Reid released the novel “Heated Rivalry,” about hockey players on opposing teams in a secret relationship. In November, the novel was turned into a hit television series for HBO Max.
Anna Kjellbin, who plays for the Toronto Sceptres, will be facing her fiancée, Ronja Savolainen, who plays for the Ottawa Charge, in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Savolainen is a member of Team Finland, and Kjellbin will be playing for the opposing Team Sweden.
The couple did face off before in 2024 at the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and despite being deeply in love, it was all business.
A Heated Hockey Rivalry
“I don’t care who’s in front of me … if it’s going to be her, I’m going to hit her,” Savolainen said at the time. “When you play, you just play. You don’t really think about who’s there. You’re friends after. On the ice, she’s my enemy. That’s how it goes.” Savolainen took home bronze medals with Finland in 2018 and 2022, while this is Kjellbin first time out.
When she was asked if she would ever fight with Kjellbin during a game, “No, I don’t think there will ever be that kind of fight. But I don’t care who I hit, I just hit,” she responded.
The couple first met when they were both playing for the Swedish Women’s Hockey League. They dated for five years before getting engaged in 2024. By all accounts, they are a happy and madly in love, but that doesn’t stop either of them from being professionals on the ice.
However, the duo will not have to face each other in preliminary rounds. So this showdown only happens if both of them make it to the medal round.
The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics is set for February 6th and will run through the 22nd.
