"but the AGW theory is not dependent on the hockey stick,...

"but the AGW theory is not dependent on the hockey stick, although"

But it was at one stage. It was their main focus until the heat over the controversy got too high for them and they had to drop it. They then moved to computer models. If the warming trend does not resume any time soon the controversy will be intolerable there too as their shorter term predictions will be too far out. Time will tell.