The Zamboni Driver

How fast does a Zamboni go?

Around 15 mph.

Wow. You drive that fast?

Not too often. The reason is you're trying to do a better job, fill every skate mark. But once in a while you step on it from one end to the other. It makes your hair fly when you hit it, you know?

Is there special training required to drive a Zamboni?

My training was all done on the job, learning a lot of it by mistakes and from the guys who worked here in the past. I always say I'm still in training.

How do you spot rookie drivers?

Oh, God, they just look straight ahead. They don't observe what's going on around them. I look all the way around the surface to see if I missed a big ice gouge from a skate. Some people go once around the outside and then come up the middle. But I like to go around twice.

Does it get competitive when two Zambonis are on the ice?

No, I don't get into that at all. The main concern is the quality of the ice. If it takes an extra minute to do it, that's fine. But if there were a race, I'd win.