Ice Surface Maker Zamboni Dies
Frank Zamboni, who lent his peculiar name to an outlandish ice-resurfacing machine that 40 years later is part of the vernacular of hockey fans and Peanuts afficionados alike, has died, it was learned today.
He was 87 and a spokesman for Paramount Mortuary said the onetime ice supplier forced out of business 40 years ago by the refrigerator died Wednesday at Long Beach Memorial Hospital of cardiac arrest. His first unpainted, unwieldy contraption was introduced in 1947 and there are currently 4,000 Zamboni machines in 33 countries including the Soviet Union and China.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
