Why Netflix’s New Hockey Show ‘The Sticks’ Is Getting Backlash

A new hockey show is entering the chat, and there’s already backlash.Netflix dropped details on its new series The Sticks yesterday (August 10), confirming that it stars Michelle Monaghan as a hockey coach who guides her team through an unexpected tragedy.Creator Nick Naveda said, “The Sticks is about a lot of things. Hockey, family, love, loss, class, and coming of all ages. But above all, it’s a story about community and the importance of taking care of one another. Seeing this terrific cast of actors bring their characters to life with such curiosity, empathy, and tenderness has been incredibly moving to watch, and I can’t wait for the world to meet the people of South Dorothy.”Meanwhile, the show’s logline is (per The Hollywood Reporter): “A grieving wife steps behind the bench of the team her husband built, guiding a found family of wounded young athletes through a season of loss, love, and rivalry that will decide whether South Dorothy has anything left to believe in, and who will lead it into its next chapter.”So, why the backlash? Some people think the story is clearly inspired by the devastating Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Canada, which killed 16 people.Add Cosmopolitan as a preferred source in your Google search results.Use your Google account to add this to your settings.Michelle Straschnitzki, whose son Ryan was paralyzed in the crash, told the Canadian Press News in January that the show seems to “sensationalize our own tragedy,” and added “I’m not saying people only have to care about what happened in Humboldt, but they have to realize this is not their story to tell.”A Netflix rep said in a statement to the outlet, “I can confirm that the show is fictional and not inspired by any real-life event.”