ZAMBONI !

No "Zamboni" is not a word a magician might say before pulling a rabbit out of a hat. At Penn State it is a very entertaining part of ice hockey games; That is, watching the two Zamboni ice resurfacing machines glide over the ice in a set pattern, as they shave the ice and lay down a layer of water that is spread smooth before freezing. For big games, the Zamboni drivers wear tuxedos and keep the crowd in the game by becoming cheer leaders during intermissions.

The original machine was developed by Frank Zamboni in 1949 who owned an ice skating rink in Paramount, CA. That machine was built from a surplus WW II Jeep. Prior to the Zamboni machine, ice resurfacing was a manual process. Competing machines have been developed since then, but all are commonly referred to as the "Zamboni".