The world鈥檚 largest hockey stick will soon be gone, but people who are fond of it will be able to have a small piece of it for themselves.

Shawnigan Lake鈥檚 Genuine Collectibles Inc. will be taking possession of the 205-foot wooden replica hockey stick that has adorned the east side of the Cowichan Community Centre for decades.

Genuine Collectibles Inc.鈥檚 owner Bart Robertson said he plans to remove and transport the aging hockey stick to the company鈥檚 manufacturing facility at Maxwell鈥檚 Auto Parts in Cobble Hill where the usable material of the stick and puck will be recycled into unique, authenticated collectibles.

He said that includes making key and backpack fobs with small sticks and pucks inside protective covers.

The collectibles will also come with the history of the stick engraved on them.

Robertson said that a portion of the sales from the collectibles will be donated to local sporting organizations and charities.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be paying for all the construction costs of removing the stick, so there will be no cost the taxpayers,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not sure at this stage when we鈥檒l be taking it down because there are some birds nesting in it right now and we鈥檒l wait for them to finish doing their thing.鈥�

First constructed for Expo 1986 in Vancouver, the structure, which has reached the end of its serviceable life, has been a prominent landmark of the Cowichan region for the past 35 years.

Ongoing maintenance and extensive repairs in the early 2000s have extended its life, but the glulam Douglas-fir structure of the stick and puck have decayed to the point that the structure must be replaced or removed in order to ensure public safety.

The Cowichan Valley Regional District had suggested several options for consideration for the future of the hockey stick, including replacing the stick with a similar or different design and materials, keeping it the same size or making it bigger, or removing the stick and not replacing it at all.

The CVRD held a public engagement survey regarding future direction of the hockey stick last year, and the majority indicated that it鈥檚 not important to maintain the world record for the largest hockey stick and puck, and that the hockey stick doesn鈥檛 provide significant importance to the region and it shouldn鈥檛 be replaced.

Considering the survey results, along with the high cost of replacement, the Cowichan Core Recreation Commission directed staff to move ahead with decommissioning the hockey stick in 2024.