I don't think 'authenticity' is that simple. I'm a Canadian, I love hockey and have a pretty good understanding of it. I could make a 'hockey stick' shape out of plywood and paint it up to look good, and you could even in theory use it to smack a puck around, but its still not an authentic hockey stick.
But that would be an authentic hockey stick. It'd just be a shit one.
Of course that's an authentic hockey stick, it's just DIY.