Georgia Magazine - March 2024 - 36

Georgians AT WORK By H.M. Cauley
Meet Zamboni
driver Nick Kovac
I
f there's a joke or pun about ice
and cold, Nick Kovac has heard
it. And it's usually a groaner- " like
dad jokes, " he says. (How do hockey
players stay cool during the game?
They wear ice caps.)
It isn't Kovac's job as the arena
operations manager for Gas South
Arena in Duluth that invites the laugh
lines. What makes him a humor magnet
is one of his primary responsibilities: driving
the Zamboni machine across the ice before,
during and after Atlanta Gladiators hockey games or
skating events.
The Zamboni is a massive piece of resurfacing equipment
with two parts: a 77-inch blade that scrapes off a thin layer of
ice; and two tanks that spray hot water to patch up nicks, dents
and gaps in the ice rink's 85-by-200-foot surface. It's named for
the inventor, Frank Zamboni, who came up with the idea
in 1949.
Duluth resident Kovac learned to drive a Zamboni 23 years
ago while working at The Cooler, an ice rink in Alpharetta.
He's been at Gas South Arena for 10 years and has developed
a camaraderie with Zamboni drivers at the few rinks around
metro Atlanta. As part of his job, he regularly gets to climb
aboard one of the facility's two 7-foot-tall and 13-foot-4-inchlong
Zambonis. The task requires more than just the ability to
maneuver.
" The goal is to make the ice glassy and smooth, but driving
on a very slick surface takes some skill, " Kovac says. " You need
to know when to turn the water off and on, how far to come
36 Georgia Magazine March 2024
Nick Kovac has been driving
Zambonis for 23 years. He's a crowd
favorite at Atlanta Gladiators
hockey games in Duluth.
Inset: An oversized teddy bear
often accompanies Kovac as he
resurfaces the ice rink.
down with the blade and how to stay
away from the sides of the rink. It
requires a lot of awareness. "
While he's most visible during
Gladiator hockey games, he's on the
job long before the spectators arrive.
" Getting the ice ready is an all-day
process, " he says. " There are practices
in the morning for each team, and we
resurface between each. We do three to five
resurfacings between the last practice and the
start of the game to make sure the ice is in the best
possible condition. "
Resurfacing also takes place between periods, and that's
when Kovac becomes the star.
" It's always been fun to interact with the crowd, but I
really started hamming it up after the pandemic, " he says. " The
intermissions can be dull when nothing is happening, so this is
another way to help everyone enjoy the game. "
Kovac grabs the crowd's attention with big smiles and
props such as a fake sword, a gigantic teddy bear or a funny hat.
Sometimes he ventures out on foot to play air guitar or have a
lightsaber duel with another employee.
" The best part is seeing people smile, " he says. " The other
night, a kid yelled, 'You're my favorite driver!' They hold up
posters that say, 'My hero drives the Zamboni.' They stand at the
glass and wave. That makes it worth it.
" If I won the lottery tomorrow, the one thing I'd still do is
drive the Zamboni. It's not only fun; it's something not many
people can say they do, especially in Georgia. "
H.M. Cauley is a freelance writer from Atlanta.
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STEVEN BURROUGHS
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Georgia Magazine - March 2024

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