The Iceman Cometh

In 2002, this ‘Iceman’ drove a Zamboni through 69 Canadian communities in support of grassroots hockey and our Olympic hockey teams

- Jim MacNeil

My father, Alex Mac-Neil, was a brilliant mechanic and in 1963 he was asked to repair a Zamboni ice machine, which was built on a Jeep’s chassis. Since he was familiar with Jeeps and the kind of work that was required, my dad accepted the job and the rest is history. His workshop soon had Zambonis coming in for repairs from across Ontario. Due to my father’s line of work, I became fascinated by Zambonis as a child, and eventually became interested in becoming a Zamboni driver.

In September, 1988, I accepted a maintenance job in St. George, Ont., where I was taught the skills of ice-making, which I have used throughout my career. In August 1991, I accepted a position with the city of Brantford, where I have remained ever since, with retirement planned prior to year’s end.