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.
Amazing Facts on the World's Biggest Hockey Stick & Puck:
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.
News and Photo source thanks to
http://www.vancouverisland.com
