Aldrich Ice Arena Zamboni Restored To Past Glory
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (WCCO) -- Leon LaBossiere spent much of his adult life turning in circles.
"That was some of the best times of my life, I mean a great job, what a wonderful job," chuckles LaBossiere.
The longtime Aldrich Arena Zamboni driver cleaned the ice and fired-up crowds. In between periods of games, he became somewhat of a local legend.
"We had a public address announcer and he had a little humor with him. One night I was pulling out and he says, here comes Leon and his dancing Zamboni," explains LaBossiere.
But LaBossiere wasn't driving just any Zamboni. His was a 1962 model F. The Aldrich Arena Zamboni was among the first to resurface any Minnesota ice rink.
"Every time I'd go by they'd yell and scream, and of course I'd play along with them," adds LaBossiere.
Eventually, both he and the Zamboni retired. LaBossiere went on to play a lot of golf -- the Zamboni was relegated to sitting idle in a storage area, largely forgotten.
"We needed that cold storage space so it was like, what are we going to do with this thing? Are we going to junk it, sell it, and then we went, wait a minute," explains Sara Ackmann.
It was Ramsey County's light bulb moment. Ackmann is director of operations for Ramsey County Parks & Recreation, Arenas and Golf.
Ackmann says the thought was, "maybe we could put it on display, maybe use it as a parade float, maybe we could, let's see what we could do with it."
It was the moment that pangs of nostalgia met with preservation. They'd restore it to be used for special events.
At R&R Specialties in Wisconsin, workers are making the 58-year old machine, new again.
"As this project went on a little further they decided they actually wanted to make it so that they could make ice with it," said Dale Hansen.
It was stripped down to the frame and fully rebuilt, with new bearings and hoses, paddles and a fresh coat of paint.
"It will be functional, yes it will," said Hansen.
With restoration complete, came delivery day. And there to drive it, was LaBossiere.
"It's fantastic. I made some rookie mistakes though," LaBossiere laughed.
On Saturday, February 22nd, the Zamboni will roll through downtown St. Paul. It will be a featured attraction in the city's parade to commemorate native son, Herb Brooks, and his players who accomplished the historic, "Miracle on Ice."
The event promises to be a touch of Minnesota hockey nostalgia, told in pictures and parades. Also, with the help of Frank Zamboni's invention in the hands of drivers like LaBossiere.
Beaming like a little boy with a new toy, LaBossiere chuckles, "it was fantastic, this was fun."
To help defray the cost of the Zamboni restoration, special Aldrich apparel is being sold. Click here for more information.