World’s oldest hockey stick up for auction

The Washington Capitals have signed forward Nathan Walker, the first Australian player to be drafted by an NHL team. (AP)

A hockey stick made from 400 year-old wood is now up for auction for $1 million.

The stick was originally purchased from a Mi’kmaq reserve in Nova Scotia and though the yellow birch wood has been carbon dated to the mid-1650s, hockey historians have debated when the stick was actually carved.

The Mi’kmaq people pride themselves on their hockey stick craftsmanship and according to the Association of Cultural Studies, many of the early hockey players in the 19th century used Mi’kmaq-made sticks.

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