Here's why some transit workers carry hockey sticks when it snows in Metro Vancouver

TransLink recommended "essential travel only" amid Wednesday's snowstorm, but those who braved the elements to ride the region's rails may have come across an unusual sight.

CTV News cameras spotted SkyTrain attendants patrolling platforms carrying hockey sticks, which they use to remove snow and ice buildup from the trains' automatic doors.

While far from an everyday sight, the practice has actually been around for decades.

In a 2021 post on its website, TransLink explains why hockey sticks turned out to be the best tool for the job of keeping doors from freezing shut between stations. 

According to the transit provider, workers in the system's early days used "a chunk of aluminum" to clear ice from the doors.

That wasn't particularly effective, and it also scratched the paint. Thin pieces of wood worked better, but were prone to breaking, so technicians switched to plastic.

In the post, SkyTrain vehicle technologist Art Wittich describes the hockey stick as the "perfect" tool for the job, because it's easier to hold than the thin plastic tools they were using, and it curves at the end.

Today, TransLink orders junior-sized street hockey sticks, which it cuts down to ensure they can fit into boxes for storage at SkyTrain stations, allowing for rapid deployment.

The transit provider says there are 48 hockey sticks deployed across six stations in the system: Stadium–Chinatown, Commercial–Broadway, Edmonds, Gateway, Production Way–University, and Moody Centre.

With more snow and freezing rain in the forecast for Thursday evening, it's safe to assume workers will be out using what TransLink calls its "most Canadian solution" to keep customers moving.