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CLEVELAND, Ohio - Five facts about the Zamboni, from history to its use:
1. It's American!
The logical assumption is that the Zamboni is a Canadian invention. But its roots are in Southern California. Utah native Frank Zamboni, born in 1901, moved to Southern California at age 21. Like many inventions, his machine came about as necessity for his job. What started as an auto-repair business morphed into electrical service and refrigeration. The family eventually expanded into recreational ice rinks. Zamboni needed to find a way to refurbish the surface, which meant scraping, collecting and spraying the ice with a new layer. And it had to be done quickly.
2. Early uses
Zamboni's trial and error involved an early model of a tractor. He patented his machine in 1949. The Boston Bruins were the first NHL team to use a Zamboni, in 1954. The first time the machine was used in the Olympics was in 1960 in Squaw Valley, California.
3. Incredibly efficient
According to nhl.com, Zamboni's invention "turned a three-man, 90-minute endeavor into a one-man, 10-minute job." Zambonis can be powered through different fuel sources; the ones at the Q in Cleveland are propane-driven and are the most popular models used.
4. Production
Zamboni's vision clearly was meant for recreational rink surfaces. In 1949, the year he earned his patent for an ice resurfacer, only the Original Six NHL teams were competing. Today there are 30 teams, including seven in Canada and three in California, where Zamboni worked on his early prototypes. The company produces 200-250 machines annually.
5. Can you get a DUI driving a Zamboni?
Yes.
Bonus: Trivia
*There were at least a couple of listings for used Zambonis for sale recently on eBay. Asking price was around $30,000.
* How fast can it go? Zamboni.com reports that in April 2005, Road & Track magazine's 'road test' on the Zamboni Model 500 "determined the machine's top speed to be 9.7 mph and that the machine would go from 0 to a quarter mile in 93.5 seconds.
* The company's slogan? "Nothing else is even close."
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