1830s Hockey Stick Belonging to William Moffatt
source: Wikimedia Commons
author: Moffatt family member (unknown)
Description
A weathered, wooden hockey stick bears signs of aging. A dark patchy layer, perhaps varnish, contrasts with the lighter wood underneath. The letters “WM” are carved into the face of the head.
Date
Artifact: between 1835 and 1838
Information
This item is one of the oldest known hockey sticks still intact. Connections between the Moffatt family and the initials carved on the stick have revealed that this artifact likely belonged to one William Moffatt, born in 1829. A family member, likely his father, carved the stick from a Nova Scotian sugar maple tree and gave it to William, who passed it down through successive generations. It currently resides in the Canadian Museum of History.
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