Frank Zamboni Ice Hockey In The 1800's

The History of the Zamboni Although ice hockey was originated in the early 1800’s, the first Zamboni did not hit the ice until 1949. For well over a century, the sheet of ice was resurfaced by tediously shoveling off the snow and pouring water back over the ice. The technique left the ice in a miserable, almost unskatable state by today’s standards. Not only was it a poor surface to skate on, resurfacing a sheet of ice took nearly over an hour and a half to complete. Frank Zamboni’s invention of the Zamboni not only brought convenience to the rink, it revolutionized the speed of the game. Frank J. Zamboni was born in Eureka, Utah, in 1901 and grew up on a farm in Idaho, where he helped with the family farm and worked as a mechanic in a
There are four steps in the process of making perfect ice: shaving, collecting, washing and renewing. The fifty seven pound, specially-made blade shaves a thin layer off the top of the ice. If the blade goes too deep, it creates an uneven surface and you could risk hitting concrete. If not deep enough, it does nothing. The snow that is created by scraping the top layer of the ice is then pick up by large skew conveyors, sending it up the back of the Zamboni. From here, the snow is then picked up by a large conveyor belt and carried up into the snow tank. After each resurfacing, the snow is dumped out of the Zamboni. Water jets at the back end of the machine spray water heated up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit to flush out the ice and replace the later that was just scraped off as well as fill in the grooves left by skates. As a vacuum sucks up the extra water left from the jets, a final layer of heated water is sprayed onto the ice. At this time, a large towel trailing the machine evenly distributes the water over the ice, leaving it smooth and ready to skate
Starting as fridge scraps, to war scraps, to the Model B jeep chassis, the Zamboni machine has been designated the official ice resurfacer of the NHL today. Each Zamboni ice resurfacer is constructed, painted, and completed in about three weeks with no assembly lines by 30-35 employees. Big time companies use the surface of the Zambonis as a canvas for advertising. In spite of being pulled out of school in the 9th grade, Frank Zamboni received an honorary doctorate in engineering from Clarkston University in 1987. Frank Zamboni invented the Zamboni ice resurfacers with no intention of gaining profit, stating, “I had no idea it would be a business itself,” to USA Today in 1985. All Frank was concerned about was the necessity of the machine in which he created to be one of the biggest in the skating industry