Pieces of what was once the world’s largest hockey stick will soon be finding their way into thousands of pockets across British Columbia and beyond.
The 62-metre (203-foot) wooden hockey stick and puck adorned the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan, B.C., for more than 35 years, after originally being constructed for Expo ’86 in Vancouver.
It was taken down earlier this year when, after falling into disrepair, a report found it would cost up to $1.5 million to repair the landmark’s Douglas fir-glulam wood structure.
That’s when Bart Robertson, owner of Maxwell’s Autoparts and Genuine Collectibles in Shawnigan Lake got involved.
Robertson agreed to take the stick and upcycle it into collectibles, sparing the municipality the cost of removing and disposing of the big stick.
“Every one is unique,” Robertson said of the collectibles.
Parts of the stick, puck and blade wrapping have been included in the keychain fobs, which are each a little larger than a Toonie.
The wood has been cut into thin wafers, and then laser engraved with an image.
‘This particular run is going to be 1,500 units with it at the (Cowichan) Community Centre, that picture,” he said.
“The next round will be the same internals, but the picture will change to the factory building it in Penticton. The third will be a picture of it at Expo … and the last will be a picture of young kids playing hockey on a pond in the wintertime.”
He said the website selling the items went live on Monday, and that there’s already been significant interest.
“It’s just like click, click, click, tallying them up pretty fast,” he said.
The collectibles are being sold for $20 a piece, though Robertson said there will be a discount for community groups who want to re-sell them for charity fundraisers.
And while there have long been rumours the giant stick contained a time capsule somewhere inside, Robertson said he’s yet to come across it.
You can find out more about the collectibles at the Maxwell’s Auto Centre website.