X-Nico

4 unusual facts about Ice resurfacer


Bill MacFarland

In a 1963 WHL playoff game in San Francisco, MacFarland was shoved through an open gate and hit his head against a parked Zamboni.

Ice resurfacer

In 1967, an Elmira, Ontario-based welder named Andrew Schlupp built his own ice-resurfacer and started the Resurfice Corporation.

Ken Reitz

He was nicknamed the "Zamboni" for his skill at scooping up ground balls on the artificial turf of Busch Memorial Stadium.

Legend of the Octopus

Al Sobotka, the Joe Louis Arena head ice manager and one of the two Zamboni drivers, is the person who retrieves the thrown octopuses from the ice.



see also

Resurfice Corporation

While competitor Zamboni was named official ice resurfacer of the National Hockey League, this was largely for licensing purposes and some NHL teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks continue to use Olympia machines, even featuring them in television commercials.

Zamboni Company

The video game Plants vs. Zombies has a zombie driving a Zamboni-brand ice resurfacer, called the "Zomboni" in-game.