 The
Cowichan Community Centre, in Duncan on Vancouver Island in British
Columbia, boasts the largest hockey stick and puck in the world. Built
in 1985, the 205-foot hockey stick is built from Douglas Fir wooden
beams reinforced with steel, and weighs in at a staggering 61,000
pounds (28,118 kgs). The
World's Largest Hockey Stick & Puck was originally commissioned
by the Government of Canada as part of the Expo '86 World's Fair Exposition
in Vancouver.
Following the
fair, the artifact was donated to the Province of British Columbia,
who held a Canada-wide competition to determine its final destination.
The Cowichan Community Centre site in the Cowichan Valley was selected
from over 30 community and private organizations.
 The
World's Largest Hockey Stick Society was established to manage the
wooden wonder, and successfully raised over $150,000 in cash and
donated goods and services from public-spirited businesses, service
clubs and private citizens. The
fund was used to underwrite the significant cost of dismantling
the stick at the Vancouver Expo, freight transfer to Duncan on Vancouver
Island, and on-site preparation and reassembly of the display at
the Cowichan Community Centre.
In 1994, the
society formally transferred ownership of the huge hockey stick
and puck to the citizens of the Cowichan Valley, by donating the
artifact to the Cowichan Valley Regional District.
Facts on the
Biggest Hockey Stick & Puck" in the world:
 |
The
World's Largest Hockey Stick & Puck is 40 times life
size. |
|
The
shaft and blade of the stick are made in sections with steel-reinforced
Douglas Fir beams measuring 3 foot by 4 foot (91.44 cm by 1.2192
m) for a total length of 205 feet (62.48 metres). |
|
The
stick weighs 28,118 kg (61,000 pounds) and was built in Penticton
BC. The final product was trucked to Vancouver in two pieces,
spliced together on the ground, then lifted into position on
August 21, 1985. |
|
After
the fair in Vancouver, the hockey stick was transported to Vancouver
Island by barge and 3 flat bed trucks exactly two years later,
on August 21, 1987. |
|
The
World's Largest Hockey Stick & Puck was dedicated at
the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan on May 21, 1988, two
years to the day after Expo '86 opened. |
|
The
Guinness Book of World Records officially bestowed the title
of the world's largest hockey stick on July 14, 2008 after a
20-year battle for recognition. At one third the length of Duncan's
stick, residents of Minnesota can no longer claim their 21-metre
wooden hockey stick to be the biggest. |
Contact Details:
Cowichan Community Centre
2687 James Street
Duncan
BC, V9L 2X5
Tel: (250) 748-7529
Fax: (250) 748-0054
|
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