The $150,000 Machine That Works For 90 Seconds

TL;DR

A Zamboni ice resurfacer costs ~$150,000 and resurfaces an NHL rink in roughly 90 seconds per lap, using blades, augers, and heated water.

Key Points

• 1.Frank Zamboni invented the ice resurfacer in the 1940s at Iceland rink in Paramount, CA. Before it, resurfacing took one hour and multiple workers with tractors and shovels; his Model A cut that to 10 minutes using surplus Jeep parts, steel tubing, and lumber.
• 2.The machine operates in four sequential steps. A blade scrapes the ice into shavings, a horizontal auger collects them into a tank, wash water cleans and is vacuumed back up, then atomized hot water from a separate tank is sprayed down to form a fresh, smooth sheet.
• 3.Modern NHL Zambonis weigh 7,000 lb empty and over 9,000 lb with full water tanks. They run on a 2.4L liquid-cooled propane engine and feature optional tire washers that prevent black rubber-stud marks from being tracked onto the ice.
• 4.Game-day ice maintenance at Crypto.com Arena starts at 4–5 a.m. and continues every hour. The team uses a Simco IQ Elite system that measures 91,000 points on the ice surface to monitor temperature and ensure optimal hardness before puck drop.
• 5.Ice temperature must be carefully controlled — too cold and the ice becomes brittle and shatters under skaters. The arena also uses a smaller machine called the Edgar to condition ice along the boards where the standard Zamboni is too large to reach.