Toronto Maple Leafs Zamboni Driver Lays the Best Ice in the NHL

Rob Buchan never thought in a million years that he would be working for the Toronto Maple Leafs until fate intervened when he met his wife, Mary. Mary’s father, Don McCarthy, was the Zamboni driver for the Leafs at the time, and as Rob and Mary’s relationship developed, Don wished for his son-in-law to follow in his footsteps. With Don’s love for his job as inspiration, Rob took all the necessary steps and courses that would lead to securing his job on the ice maintenance team. After years of paying his dues and working his way up the ladder, Rob finally got his shot and took full advantage of the opportunity, becoming the head Zamboni driver. Unfortunately, Don passed away before he had the chance to see Rob drive the Zamboni, but Rob takes great pride in trying to make his father-in-law proud each time he drives out on to the ice.

Being the Maples Leafs Zamboni driver comes with many challenges as the Air Canada Centre also hosts the Toronto Raptors, concerts and numerous events every week. The crew sometimes has only a few hours to transition to NHL ready ice, so the margin for error is slim. Rob and his team constantly monitor conditions such as humidity, air flow, indoor and outdoor temperature to ensure they have right around one inch of ice for game time.

Rob is extremely thankful that he gets to do what he loves every day and hopes to be there flooding the ice when the Leafs bring the Stanley Cup back to Toronto.

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