I love a good roadside attraction, so when I visited Duncan, BC recently, I definitely made time to go see the "World's Largest Hockey Stick and Puck." It was officially recognized as such in 2008 or 2010 (sources vary) by the Guinness Book of World Records. So, how could I miss it? I was impressed—it's truly more giant than I even imagined it would be!
The Cowichan Valley Regional District website describes the 62.5 meter-long (more than 205 feet) stick that's made out of steel and Douglas fir:
The World's Largest Hockey Stick was originally made for the entrance to the Canada Pavilion at Vancouver's Expo '86. It was transported to Duncan in 1988 and dedicated to the Cowichan Valley Regional District in 1994. It rests against the exterior wall of the Cowichan Community Centre's Cowichan Arena . . .
The giant stick and puck are currently causing a lot of local hullabaloo—they badly need to be replaced, but the price tag for a new stick is creating a great deal of tension and controversy. Boundary Creek Times explains:
The regional district estimated in a report before city council that it would cost between $1.5 million and $3 million to build and install a replacement stick.If that proposal is rejected by residents, then the stick will be torn down at the end of its expected life in three years or before then, if it poses a safety hazard. …
"I think there's a heightened sensitivity to spending money on things that aren't core services as far as what your local or regional government provides," Schumacher said.
Either way, the stick's time at the top is coming to an end:
the city of Lockport, Illinois has just approved a proposal to build a new hockey facility that will be home to an even larger hockey stick—that one will be 76 meters (almost 250 feet). That'll be a sad day for the big ol' stick and its fans. I'm glad I got to see it when I did!
