Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is in the middle of a re-election campaign, but even a busy mayor has time for a quick photo op, especially when a Heated Rivalry star is involved.
On Saturday, Chow shared an Insta photo of herself with Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya Rozanov in the popular Crave series.
“Nice to meet you, Connor! It’s hockey night,” Chow captioned the pic of the pair smiling together.
The post has racked up more than 73,000 likes as of publication, and although it’s not an official celebrity endorsement, fans have flooded the comments to celebrate the crossover we didn’t know we needed but are certainly happy to have.
“Madam mayor personally met the sun,” one Instagram user wrote (FYI, Storries’ Heated Rivalry co-star Hudson Williams has casually referred to him as “my sunshine”).
“WAIT WHAT?! These are two of my favourite people in the WORLD!” another user commented, while another wrote, “Guys, I think she’s one of us.”
There were a ton of Heated Rivalry easter eggs spread throughout the comments, too.
“Is she coming to the cottage?!?!” one fan asked, referencing the iconic Muskoka getaway where Shane and Ilya’s romance takes a major turn in the show’s season finale.
And with Toronto’s election just days away, some fans have turned the celeb encounter into a little political humour.
“Mayor race over its been called,” one user joked, while another called it “THE endorsement we were all waiting for.”
Storrie is currently in Toronto filming season 2 of Heated Rivalry. The American actor has become something of an honorary Canadian since starring opposite Williams in the hockey romance, which follows rival hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander as they navigate a secret relationship.
And Chow isn’t the first Canadian politician to have a Heated Rivalry moment. In January, Prime Minister Mark Carney got cozy with Williams at a red-carpet event in Ottawa, where the actor helped him into a fleece jacket from the show!
If you haven’t had your fill of Heated Rivalry mania, Cineplex is bringing the hit series to the big screen next month, with special screenings on Nov. 6 and a six-episode marathon on Nov. 8.