Want to own the world's largest hockey stick? This B.C. community wants to talk

Vancouver Island's Cowichan Valley Regional District wants to know who is willing to take a shot at owning the world's largest hockey stick.

It says the more than 62-metre wooden stick and puck that has been attached to the east side of the Cowichan Community Centre in Duncan — about a 60-kilometre drive northwest of Victoria — for the past 35 years needs more than a new tape job.

The regional district says the glue structure holding the giant Douglas fir replica stick together has decayed and must be removed to protect public safety.

The district says its goal now is to seek expressions of interest from community organizations or individuals looking to make use of a large hockey stick.

At more than 28,000 kilograms, the stick was originally built for Expo 86 in Vancouver before arriving at the Cowichan Community Centre, where it has been on display ever since.

In a CBC News report on the hockey stick coming to Duncan, residents expressed their hope of it becoming a tourist attraction.

"It's going to enchant the whole community," said one man in the report.

Another compared it to other world landmarks, joking, "whoever heard of Paris before the Eiffel Tower?"

But despite best efforts at maintaining it, time has taken its toll on the landmark.

Last year, a northern flicker — a type of woodpecker — started drilling holes in the stick's side, which led to a wider conversation about the cost and risks of keeping the stick on display.

The district says a public survey about the future of the stick found few respondents calling for efforts to repair or replace the prominent landmark, ultimately leading to the decision to try and find a private owner for it.

Tom Duncan, acting chair of the Cowichan Core Recreation Commission,