For 37 years Kelly Saunders has been the Zamboni Driver and looking after the ice at the Metro Centre now known as the Scotiabank Centre.
He’s seen a lot over the years from the various AHL teams that have played there like the Nova Scotia Oilers to Halifax Citadels to the present-day Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.
Kelly has made many a kids dream come true by driving on the Zamboni with him during the intermissions at Mooseheads games.
I was chatting with him before last Saturday’s game and we believe it’s been over 20 years since the first kid got their ride around the rink.
Some of those kids now have kids of their own. One current Mooseheads player # 14 Logan Crosby of Salt Springs, Pictou County, Nova Scotia still has his Zamboni Driver’s Licence that every kid gets once they take their spin around the rink.
When my boys Drake and Trent were little growing up in section 26, Sarah from the Mooseheads Promotions Staff would come running up to get one of them to fill in as the kid that was picked to go out suddenly got cold feet to get on the Zamboni.
Former Mooseheads player Justin Belanger owner of High Button Sports recently sat down with Kelly to chat about his decades as the head ice technician at the downtown Halifax rink.
In Justin’s conversation below with Kelly find out some ticks of icemaking, what it was like to meet Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe when all Kelly had to sign was a Halifax Citadels puck, has a bus ever damaged the rink walls and so many other stories about life as a fellow “rink rat.”
I’ve been lucky to work with Kelly at the Mooseheads games while announcing the games over the past 27 years and I keep bugging him for a ride on the Zamboni, but at 6”2 and 220 pounds, he says I’m too big. Hahaha.
Here’s to many more years of driving around in circles here in Moose Country Kelly!
-Ian
Credits: High Button Sports