6 replies to this topic

[GLOVESAVE35]

Q Is Frank Zamboni's very first ice-resurfacing machine still outside some practice facility in California, or somewhere else?

Peter Feast, Edmonton

A Yes. The model A is at Iceland, a 100-foot by 200-foot rink built in 1940 in Paramount, Calif., about halfway between Los Angeles International Airport and Disneyland.

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Q With the way the Vancouver Canucks are playing now and where they sit, do you think it was a good idea to let Brian Burke go? In Anaheim, it seems the Ducks are rejoicing in what what the Canucks had back in 2003. Could this be a coincidence, or is Burke really this good?

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[MrsBevo]

I've skated at the Paramount rink plenty of times. Because I was young and a lousy skater at the time, I remember the ice being really wet and my pants would get soaked from falling a lot. However, now that I'm older (and a better skater) it is definitely a great ice surface to skate on. My mom preferred Paramount to the local rink because of the better ice.

[DropThePuck]

Oh how ice resurfacing has progressed ...




Resurfacing prior to Frank Zamboni's invention was a challenge. This photo shows the Detroit Red Wing's ice maintenance crew hard at work.


An early Zamboni ice resurfacing prototype at Paramount Iceland in the 1940's.


An early version of the Model A Zamboni ice resurfacer. The world's first self-propelled ice resurfacing machine.


Lelo Grasso, who drove the Boston Garden Arena’s E21 for many years, was famous for waving his hat to the crowd as he departed the ice. Zamboni later restored this machine for the Boston Garden Arena; it was subsequently donated to the NHL Hall of Fame in Toronto.

[lvsprt]

Gee, looking at those guys lined up with the shovels makes you realize how far we've come.

[GoldBurg]

Gee, looking at those guys lined up with the shovels makes you realize how far we've come.

lol, I would definentely say that zambonies have improved

[Just Duckie]

I have many fond memories of skating and playing broom ball at Iceland. Though for the place that is the birthplace of the Zamboni, their ice was pretty rutty and uneven during the public skating times, I remember catching an edge in a rut when I was learning to do a three turn and going splaaaat. But I guess beggars like me can't be choosy; we still had a lot of fun

[MrsBevo]

The girls with the shovels at the Ponda seem much better looking. Did you know the origin of the intermission has to do with the time it took to resurface the ice? Even after the Zamboni, they still kept the intermission the same.