The Evaluation of the Zamboni
By Darby Rhodes
The Zamboni was invented by Frank Zamboni in
1949, his invention took a 5-man, 90 minute task
down to a one-man to 15 minute job. Born in Eureka,
Utah on January 16th, 1901 to Italian Immigrants.
Zamboni started an ice making business, making
and delivering block ice. Frank soon saw that with the
invention of refrigerators that the future of block ice
was dying.
In 1940, his family opened The Iceland Rink, the rink
is still opened and operated by the Zamboni family.
Zamboni spent the next nine years working on a new
invention, one reason he stuck with it for so long,
people told him it was a crazy idea. He finished his
first machine in 1949 and was grated a patent in
1953.
World famous ice skater Sonja Henie was the first to
order Zamboni’s new ice resurfacing machine. Soon
after the Chicago Blackhawks purchased one.
The first models included cylinders from an
A-20 attack plane, a chassis from an oil rig
derrick, with a Jeep engine, a wooden bin
to catch ice shavings, along with a series
of pulleys.
The cost of a modern day Zamboni vary
depending on the individual needs of the
rink. Basic models start around $10,000
and go up from there.
Zamboni died at the age of 87 in 1988, the Zamboni company still thrives today in thanks to his son and
grandson. Frank was inducted into the Ice Skating Institutes Hall of Fame in 1965.
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