Duncan, B.C., could soon lose record for world's largest hockey stick to U.S. town
A battle of who has the biggest hockey stick in the world is brewing outside of rinks in Canada and the U.S.
Currently, the world's largest hockey stick is located in North Cowichan, B.C.
The massive 66-metre, or 218-foot, behemoth weighs 28 tonnes, or as much as six and a half elephants.
The hockey stick is made out of steel and Douglas fir, and is certified as the world's largest hockey stick in the Guinness Book of World Records.
"It’s a symbol or our town," said area resident Ron Painter.
"It’s huge," added seven-year-old Sahara Skye.
But, the massive hockey stick may not hold the record for long.
Some 3,600 kilometres away in Lockport, IL, construction of a new rink has just been approved by city council. The new rink includes a 76-metre, or 250-foot, hockey stick, some 10 metres or 30 feet larger than the one in North Cowichan.
"Well, honestly, when it comes to Lockport here, I like quirky, so anything quirky I can get behind," said Lockport Mayor Steve Streit on Tuesday.
Streit says, go big or go home.
An artist's rendering of the upcoming hockey stick in Lockport, IL, is pictured. (Lockport City Hall)The rink and stick are being built by a private investor. The proposal was unanimously approved by city council.
"They will start breaking ground here real soon so they’ll be working on it throughout this year," said Streit.
"You guys have a little time if you want to build an extension on your hockey stick and try to keep up," he joked.
Lockport currently doesn’t have a hockey rink within its borders, so the community of nearly 30,000 is buzzing.
"Why throw the world's largest hockey stick out front of it? I don’t know, why not?" said Nick Jakusz, midday host of radio station 95.9 The River in Aurora, IL.
"We kind of like to do that around here," he said. "If you’re going to do something, do it big right?"
Jakusz points to another world’s largest attraction that was just constructed in the neighbouring city of Joliet, IL.
"They just erected the largest handmade guitar sculpture in the entire world," said the radio host.
The guitar has already attracted a lot of attention worldwide.
"It’s a fun thing, and why not?" said Jakusz.
The largest handmade guitar sculpture in the world located in Joliet, IL, is pictured. (Nick Jakusz)Back on Vancouver Island, people don’t seem too upset about being dethroned.
"The competition is good for our image because [the hockey stick] kind of gets forgotten," said Painter.
Regardless of who gets the "world’s largest" title, the controversy is once again giving North Cowichan’s old stick the attention it deserves.
On the bright side, not all hope is lost.
"Duncan, [B.C.], can rest assured, the hockey stick outside of this new [rink] going up in Lockport is left-handed, so at least you’ll have the world's largest right-handed hockey stick," said Jakusz.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
EXCLUSIVE | Security increased for prime minister's advisers after break-and-enter incidents
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.

'Nova Scotians' sense of safety was rocked': RCMP failures dominate inquiry's final report into 2020 mass shooting
A long list of failures by Nova Scotia RCMP leadership and policing systems dominate the final report into Nova Scotia's April 2020 mass shooting.
Memes, ski etiquette and that missing GoPro video: Highlights from the Gwyneth Paltrow trial
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
House abandoned by couple who 'disappeared' 8 years ago major eyesore for upscale Toronto street
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
UCP candidate, slammed for comments on pornography in schools, quits
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Here's how to know if someone is struggling with a video game addiction: Expert
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
'No question there need to be changes': PM responds to Nova Scotia mass shooting commission report
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
TREND LINE | Poilievre surpasses Trudeau when it comes to preferred prime minister: Nanos
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
Coroner rules against officer's 'suicide by cop' theory for Sammy Yatim inquest
A Toronto police officer's request to explore a theory that a distraught teen he shot was trying to die by "suicide by cop" has been rejected by a coroner overseeing an inquest into the youth's death.