Netflix is joining the ‘Off Campus’ hockey craze with ‘The Sticks’
We get it, people. Hockey has apparently become streaming’s new obsession, and what is going on? One show does well, and next thing you know, there is another one coming around the corner with skates on. Off Campus is everywhere, and Heated Rivalry has people losing their heads. But that wasn’t enough, and now Netflix has The Sticks. Of course it does. Would’ve been rude not to, apparently.
So, what’s the deal with this one? The Sticks is an eight-episode YA drama on Netflix and was announced a few months ago… without a title. Michelle Monaghan is leading it as Harper Sullivan, with Scott Bakula and Logan Marshall-Green joining her. Which, come on, sounds like an odd pairing, but when has that not worked out in Netflix’s favour?
The story is set in a small Minnesota town where hockey is basically life and not just a hobby. Then Harper loses her husband and everything, well, goes completely to pot.
And then, there is the team. Because apparently grief on its own wasn’t enough of a palaver.
Harper takes over the hockey team her husband built, so now she is behind the bench trying to keep a bunch of young players from going off the rails. Meanwhile, she has got her own life in pieces. Brilliant timing, right?
But what makes The Sticks different from the rest? Yes, there is romance knocking about. Obviously. It’s a YA hockey drama, and nobody is trying to reinvent the wheel here. But what makes it different is that the show explores what happens when people are a mess, and they have the responsibility of keeping a team up and running.
Bakula plays Coach Brody, Marshall-Green is Coach Sully, and Alex MacIsaac is Emma Boone. Then there is Emilie Bierre as Riley Sullivan, Shai Chase as Henry Sullivan and Josh Macqueen as Rhett Nelson. And that’s before the rest of the younger cast pile in.
Then you’ve got Bryan Greenberg as Cliff Barnes and Patrick Gallagher as Principal Montgomery, with more recurring faces on top.
So, is the hockey boom getting crowded? Oh, absolutely. But The Sticks sounds like it might have a bit more going on than just the sports romance, and we are here for it.