If I see one more person be like "why can't Shane and Ilya just come out? I mean, Scott Hunter did it" I will not be held responsible for my actions so here is a (probably incomplete) list of reasons why that question is fucking insane:
Scott Hunter came out at the end of playoffs (around mid-June), Shane and Ilya are probably at the cottage in July or by the end of June (August is too close to the beginning of the season for them to be "relaxing"). Sure, Scott Hunter received the MVP award (which is based on the Hart Memorial Trophy - notably voted on by the PHWA a.k.a. ice hockey journalists; not other players or higher-ups from the league), which, like, good for him. But that happened at most around a month ago. There's no knowing what consequences will follow his coming-out once the season starts back up. Will he face backlash once his moment in the sun passes? Probably. To what extent? How will he be treated by other players? Will he lose sponsors? Will the media turn against him? There is literally no way to tell at this point.
Scott Hunter is a white North-American man. I feel like a lot of people (and before you ask, yes, they are) completely overlook this fact. Scott Hunter is not already facing racism. He is not essentially the only person of his race to ever make it to this hight of his chosen profession. He is not already facing xenophobia. He is not in the country on a work visa. He does not have to contend with the laws of his home country and possible deportation with very real, life threatening consequences if he is dropped or not resigned. Scott Hunter's worst case scenario after coming out as gay is that he is no longer able to continue playing hockey in the NHL and loses all his sponsors. He quietly retires with the love of his life and his millions of dollars.
Scott Hunter fell in love with a smoothie barista turned bartender and grad student. In the scope of making homophobes uncomfortable, that's mid at best, many will surely come up with their own prejudiced justification that somehow allows them to "look past" his partner being male that simultaneously allows them to not have to examine the rigid societal construct of what "masculinity" entails and what that means for their entire world view. If, however, two players come out as a couple one of them is presumably taking it up the ass while also being one of the top fucking players in the league and out-performing almost everyone on the ice. Trust me. That's going to lead to more than a few fragile assholes who never learned to express an emotion other than anger not-so-quietly masking a breakdown.
Even Yuna fucking Hollander felt the need to ask her son (who also happens to be the most competitive man on earth) whether he had ever thrown a game due to his relationship with another player. Let me reiterate: EVEN SHANE'S OWN FUCKING MOTHER STARTED CALLING THEIR INTEGRITY INTO QUESTION. Every single loss will be analysed, every failure to perform at above the top fucking level will lead to questions.
Beyond that, Ilya and Shane have been marketed as rivals for the entirety of their professional careers (you know, the entire premise of the fucking show). This is a complete breakdown of their brand. This means they have not only been hiding their sexuality, they have been lying to the public. Even people who don't care about their sexuality will have opinions on this. Even people whose opinions are positive will get weird and parasocial to a new extent.
Leading to: their relationship redefines their entire legacy. They will no longer be individually remembered as one of the top hockey players of their generation (who also had a pretty intense rivalry with an opponent). They will always be that gay hockey couple.
Even aside from the gayness of the whole thing, they are two incredibly high profile individuals whose careers necessitate them being pitted against each other on the ice. As much as every professional move will be viewed in the context of their relationship, every personal move that is caught on camera or whispered about too loudly will be blown up and analysed in the context of their professions. Oh, they were spotted out but Shane was frowning, is there trouble in paradise? What will this mean for the upcoming Boston vs. Montreal game? They told each other they love each other for the first time fifteen minutes ago. They're officially boyfriends as of just now. Can they have a second to enjoy that before subjecting their relationship to public scrutiny?
Shane is canonically a rigid control freak (affectionate) with a presumed anxiety disorder whose internalised homophobia/fear made him not admit his own sexuality to himself even after years of gleefully getting his back blown out and only getting through sex with women with closed eyes and gritted teeth. You think he's going to willingly out himself immediately? Be fucking for real.
