If you’ve been on the internet lately, you might’ve seen Netflix’s new series The Sticks pop up — but not necessarily for the reasons they were hoping for. The upcoming hockey drama, which is set to premiere in 2027, follows the story of a grieving wife who becomes the coach of a youth hockey team after a tragedy shakes their small Minnesota town. According to Netflix, she’ll guide a group of young players through “loss, love, and rivalry” as they attempt to rebuild their community.
Sounds like an emotional and impactful story right? Well, for some, the story is all too familiar. Families connected to Canada’s devastating Humboldt Broncos tragedy have pointed out the similarities between the series and what they experienced firsthand — and some have made it clear they’re not happy about it.
One father who lost his son in Humboldt Broncos crash said that the premise “turns my stomach.” Scott Thomas, whose son Evan passed in the 2018 crash, told news outlet SaskNow about the series. “From what I’m assuming, where they’re going with this is: bus crashes, hockey players die, wife picks up the team and brings them back to glory, and in the end, everybody’s happy. That’s just complete trash. That’s not what happened to us. At all.”
And after Netflix shared some new behind-the-scenes photos from the series on August 10, those previous comments resurfaced online. The Humboldt Broncos tragedy killed 16 people after a bus carrying members of the junior hockey team collided with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan in April 2018. For the families who lived through the tragedy, the similarities between the real-life events and the premise of The Sticks have been quite understandably difficult to ignore.
And what did Netflix do? They said that The Sticks is “fictional and not inspired by any real-life event.”
Another parent, Michelle Straschnitzi, whose son Ryan was paralyzed due to the crash, said that the show seems to “sensationalize our own tragedy.” She went on to say “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.”
While Netflix has stayed firm that the series isn’t based on the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, it’s easy to understand why the premise has struck a nerve with the families.
What do you think about Netflix’s response? Will you be watching The Sticks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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