Like the figure skater, the hockey player, and the speed skater, the Zamboni operator dreams of ice—polished, smooth ice.

And depending on your day, maybe also Vanilla Ice. (Source)

This job is ideal for the perfectionists out there who like to make sure things are always clean and in order. It's a cool gig for people who have a thing for driving big trucks.

It's also a cool gig for people who have a thing for ice. What about those who are into driving big trucks on ice? Well, you've come to the right place.

Here's the thing though—driving a Zamboni isn't a job that anyone would classify as "crazy lucrative." You'd probably make a lot more cash driving a snowplow in Maine or Michigan in the dead of winter. However, there must be some appeal to the whole idea of driving a Zamboni that just doesn't work for snowplows. After all, nobody's writing songs about driving a snowplow, but there's a pretty popular tune about cruising around on a Zamboni.

If you're a hockey fan and you get a job driving a Zamboni at a hockey rink or arena, you get to see all the games for free. That's got to count for something, right?

The downside? There's a lot of downtime. Even those who clean the ice at the Olympics have plenty of time between events (and those are the primo gigs).

At least it's not a particularly high stress job, unless you really stink at it. It can't be fun to have dozens of skaters and hockey players with sharp blades skating on ice you've screwed up. If you're constantly messing up the ice, you're not going to last long in the Zamboni driving game. However, if you are good at your job, you're the big hero (kind of)—making everything all clean and pretty for the skaters and spectators.

Driving a Zamboni requires some serious strength. You'll have to ease your way around the rink without hitting the boards—yet you'll have to make sure every inch of ice is glossy and smooth.

They see me rollin' / They hatin'. (Source)

Not all ice-resurfacing machines are Zambonis—just like all bandages aren't necessarily Band Aids. However, to serious skaters and hockey players, it's a Zamboni—just like you'd put a Band Aid, not a "plastic-strip," on a boo-boo.

History Lesson

Frank Zamboni and his brother Lawrence had an ice manufacturing plant in Paramount, California, in the 1930s. But when refrigerators became hip (before that, people used to have ice boxes that held blocks of ice in their kitchens), the Zamboni brothers needed to find another way to make money. They ended up building the Iceland Skating Rink next door to their plant. (Source)

It wasn't long before Frank began looking for a way to quickly and efficiently smooth the ice at the rink. This development, while not being as groundbreaking as the iPhone or the eight-track, made the rink very popular.

However, even with the new floors, skaters wanted a smoother surface to do their jumps, spins, and fancy footwork. Besides, Frank surely got tired of having to hire three to four strong guys to spend over an hour to sweep, chisel, and resurface the ice every day by hand.

It took him seven years, but in 1949, Zamboni figured out how to make the world's first ice resurfacing machine. He took out a patent on it four years later and turned it into the fabulous Zamboni machine we see today—making Frank the Henry Ford of the ice world.

The Zamboni ended up changing skating forever, becoming an indispensable item that every rink must have. Frank Zamboni was even elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

How It Works

So how does a Zamboni machine work anyway? Considering you'll be sitting on top of this fine piece of equipment, you should know the facts. Besides, it might be enough to impress the owner of your local rink to get you a job riding on top of the big beast.

A blade—strong enough to trim Thor's nose hair—shaves the top of the rough ice, turning it to slushy snow and shooting it up into a tank, where it will be dumped later. Water is spritzed out of the machine, which cleans the ice, and is squeegeed by the machine as more water spits out and refreezes—but this time it turns the ice clean and smooth as a baby's bottom. (Source)

While there's still a need for Zamboni operators at existing rinks and arenas, there's some word on the street that a driverless ice Roomba is in the works and may one day put Zamboni operators out of work. While it may be more cost effective to cut out the drivers, the skating and hockey communities are quite attached to their Zambonis, and the jobs are coveted.

The machines are expensive, and you won't just be handed the keys to a Zamboni because you ask politely. There's some training required before you hop on one during the intermission at a hockey game.

Now let's kick some ice. (Source)

Still, if your local rink is out a driver and you happen to be a high school hockey player or figure skater, you might be able to snag a job running the big machine in exchange for free ice time and a small salary. You could also go all out and learn how to not only run the Zamboni, but how to fix it if it breaks down as well at the STAR (Servicing the American Rink) Certified Ice Technician program.

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