5 Reasons Why Santa Claus Is a Hockey Fan
By JP Powell
Mar 2, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler (17) lays on the ice after taking a high stick by the Ottawa Senators during the third period of the Heritage Classic hockey game at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
#2. Hockey Sticks Are Made of Wood
You likely have one (or both) of two comments for this argument: 1) WELL DUH! 2) That’s not really accurate, Mr. Writer Man, most hockey sticks today are composite and contain little to no wood. Firstly, thank you for pointing that out. You are, of course, correct. Lastly, ALL hockey sticks USED to be made of wood are still fully legal in today’s NHL.
Well, then, what does a hockey stick being made of wood (or not) have to do with anything? Back around the time that Santa was first settling in the North Pole, all (or most) toys were basically made of wood, therefore Santa and his elves must have had a warehouse full of wood. The elves need exercise and to go outdoors once in a while and also have all that wood laying around. Hockey was first taking hold in Canada around the time Santa moved in which means that the elves likely used some of that wood to make hockey sticks.
As you can clearly tell from that clip from the documentary on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, elves make toys from wood.
Yes, I know, baseball bats are also made of wood, but as I argued a page ago baseball is nearly impossible to play correctly on ice and a white ball in all that snow would get lost easily. Hockey pucks are black and easier to see in snow and ice.
Wood is readily available in the North Pole (due to Santa Claus importing it year round) and is, outside of snow and ice, one of the easiest things to keep on hand. The elves never have to worry about running out of material to make hockey sticks.