A Coffee with Brooklyn Rasmussen, Arena Technician (Engineering/Ice Ops) at OEG Sports & Entertainment!

Grab a coffee and settle in for a fascinating look behind the scenes of professional hockey with Brooklyn Rasmussen, an Arena Technician at OEG Sports & Entertainment. 

As the first woman to drive the Zamboni for the Oilers—and one of only about five in the entire NHL—Brooklyn’s journey took her from power plants in BC to the high-stakes environment of Rogers Place. She shares the thrill of moving up from the "minors" to the NHL, where every turn is captured by cameras and the ice quality is scrutinized by the world's best players.

It isn't just a slow cruise around the rink; it’s a high-precision science involving temperature, humidity, and a massive blade. Brooklyn deconstructs common myths—like how the steering wheel actually controls the blade depth—and explains the intense 18-minute intermission sprint required to maintain Edmonton’s #2 NHL ranking for ice quality. From grueling late-night shifts that end at 2:30 AM to the incredible logistics of converting a hockey rink into a concert stage in just a few hours, she gives us a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the grit and expertise required to keep the arena running.

Please keep in mind that we experienced some technical difficulties during the recording; while Jennifer might sound like she is speaking from the other side of the rink, we promise she was right there for the whole conversation.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments and leave us a review!

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Transcript

0:01

Hi, I'm Brooklyn Rasmussen, and you are listening to Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. Jennifer. Cam, it was a big weekend for you. The Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. I know, can you believe this? My hawks are going to the Super Bowl. I know, you're very excited. Oh, I haven't been this excited since the last time they went to the Super Bowl. 2014, is that right? Yeah, but you know what? So they went and they won, and then they went the next year and they lost. So this is the makeup year. They're back, this is incredible. We talked about, it's hard to find a jersey right now. I know, I can't, I need, cause I have, I do have a Seahawks jersey, but it's a Russell Wilson jersey, and I can't wear that. So yeah, I'm trying to find my jersey. So if anybody knows where I can get a jersey, feel free to, that's right, go to coffeeinthepark.com and send me a note, cause I want my Seahawks jersey, because yeah, it's gonna be great. They're gonna win, they're just gonna win. It's gonna be awesome. So I'm so excited about that. Anyways, everybody, thank you for joining us again today for Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. And we are coming to you live from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson. That's right. So if you hear some noise in the background, coffee machines whirring, people talking, kids screaming, it is busy today. Yeah, it is. So if you hear that noise, it's cause we're in a live coffee shop. That's right. That's we're live, having coffee and tea and water. That's what we're all having. So it's kind of cool. So it's all good. And we want to remind you all that Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam is brought to you by... Wing Snob Cam, where the wings are fresh. Never frozen. One of my favorite wing places in all of Edmonton. Some of the best wings You will ever have. 16 flavors, four rubs, and they got like cornbread and parm fries and all kinds of stuff. Didn't you just recently have Wing Snob? Well who doesn't recently have Wing Snob? Exactly. And if you haven't? Why not? But didn't you just recently? Yes I did. When? When did you have it? The other day. The other day you had Wing Snob. Unbelievable. And you had the, what flavors did you have? You had mango habanero and lemon pepper. Unbelievable. So ladies and gentlemen, check it out. You won't be disappointed. The best wings around and 10 locations in the city of Edmonton. One in Calgary, one coming up north somewhere, I think Grand Prairie. And you can check it out at www.wingsnob.ca. I thought you were going to say com. I know I did too. Were you worried? No, I was. But wingsnob.ca. Yeah, I know. I know. I caught it in time. Thank you for the save. That was good. And we are also brought to you by... Our friends over at Mprint Sign and Print Solutions here in Acheson. They're amazing. They will print anything from your business cards right up to wrapping your vehicles. That's right. For all of your printing needs, and I mean all of your printing needs. All of them. Jan and Don over at Mprint do the most amazing work. They are incredible. So like I say, whether it's business cards, brochures, booklets, whatever it is, even wrapping your vehicle, they can do it. They do the best job around. You won't be disappointed. And you don't have to be from Acheson. They'll do it anywhere. You can be from anywhere. That's right. So take it over to Don. Take it over to Jan. And you can find them at www.mprint.ca. That's right. For all your printing needs, thank you for sponsoring Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. I'm very excited today because this is another one of my bucket list podcast guests. Okay, I have to tell our listeners that as we've been going along doing the podcast, Cam has had two guests that we've wanted. That's right. Number one, the Penguin at the mall. Which we did. Oh, the Penguin was amazing. We went to the Penguin at the mall. We had to go because the Penguin couldn't come to the coffee shop. So we went to the Penguin. That was pretty awesome. I loved it. The second one. Oh, this is one of the best. I've been dreaming of this. This is episode, what, 80? 87? I've been dreaming of this since episode two. But I have to say, the first time Cam tried to reach out, he was a little disappointed because he didn't hear. So he didn't think it was going to happen. No, I think I got in touch with the wrong person. But then I got in touch with our friend and past podcast guest, Tim Shipton. Thanks Ship. Thank you, Tim Shipton. Executive VP of the Oilers Entertainment Group. I hope he's the executive. I think he's the executive. Otherwise, I've just promoted him. And Dan Cote-Rosen, he's awesome too. And yeah, so Ship got us in touch with the right people. And I'm so excited to say today, bucket list guest number two is on the program. She is, so let's kick it off. Let's get going. So our guest today is Brooklyn Rasmussen, who is an arena technician, engineering and Ice Ops for OEG Sports and Entertainment. Whoa. Sports, sports and entertainment. Wow, I sound British. Yeah. Awesome, Brooklyn, welcome. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. So good to have, that's quite a title you have. Yeah, it's long. Is this, say that on your business card, because that's, that's like, that's huge. So it's just arena technician. Okay. But we say ice operations and engineering at Rogers Place because we take care of both the ice and the HVAC system. Oh, okay. So we'll two for one do both. Because without the HVAC system, you wouldn't have the ice. There's no ice. And without the ice, you wouldn't have, well, I guess you'd still have the HVAC system. But nonetheless, so that's a pretty impressive title. Thank you. It's cool, yeah. Ship, so I'm going to tell Ship, now you could be the Executive Vice President, because Brooklyn's title is way more impressive, I think. Pretty incredible. Cool. All right. So let's start it off. Okay, Brooklyn, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where were you born? Are you an Edmontonian or are you a transplant? So I'm a transplant. So I moved around a bit as a kid, actually. So I was originally born in Kelowna, BC. No! My daughter was born in Kelowna. Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And then I lived there till I was about 10 or 11. Spent a year in Whitehorse out of all places. Wow, that's quite a, whoa, man. A little bit different, that's a bit of a change, eh? Yeah. And then I moved to Prince George, BC, so kind of right in the middle there. And then I did my high school and my college there, and then spent a couple of years in Fort St. James, which is just about an hour and a half northwest. Okay. So small town. Yeah, yeah. Back to Prince George for a year, and then I applied for the job here in Edmonton. And I got it. Really. So yeah, before I moved here, I hadn't really visited here, other than. So you never lived in Edmonton before? No, no, never even like had a long trip or anything. Yeah. So it was just kind of winging it. Yeah. Were you an Oilers fan? No. Thank you for being honest. Okay. Growing up in BC, I was a Canucks fan. Ah cheering for the Canucks. But now of course I do cheer for the Oilers. Yeah, for sure. I do root for them. Wow. So you moved around. I have a question. Yeah. Whitehorse. Whitehorse What was your family doing going to Whitehorse? So both of my parents work for Canada Post. So they deliver mail. Yeah. So they can transfer anywhere in Canada with that. And then it was just kind of that came up as a place to move. And so we did that. Really. So they wanted to transfer from Kelowna to Whitehorse. To Whitehorse. Yeah. From two days of winter to six months of winter. Yeah. But wait, but Whitehorse would be a cool place to live. Oh yeah. I loved it. Especially like at that age, like it was that year we actually had, I believe it was Hockey Day in Canada. Oh yeah, yeah. And so we had all of them out. So I saw the Cup at that point and things like that. And I was into speed skating and things. So let me ask you a question, Whitehorse. So were you into all the Whitehorse stuff, like dog sledding and hunting and fishing and like living in the wilderness and that kind of stuff? Not really. We did see the dog sled races, which was really cool. Each year they have a huge one. I forget the name of it right now, but it's very popular. So we got to see that. And as a kid, like never seeing that before, growing up in Kelowna, so that was amazing. Yeah, White Horse is a pretty cool place, close to Alaska. Did you ever go to Alaska? I did. Yeah. Yeah. We went on a couple trips, like just kind of shorter day trips. And then my dad and I went camping there. And so that was super fun. That's cool. I think anybody who can say they've been to Alaska is pretty cool. I've been to Alaska for an hour. An hour? Yeah. And then I was out. I was at Atlin Lake. Do you know where Atlin? Yeah. At Atlin Lake. And then we drove to Alaska, went over the border, went to a gas station and got beef jerky and then drove back. So yeah. But I was there for like an hour. That's pretty cool. I could say I've been to Alaska. That is. Yeah. All right. So then you went back to BC. You said you went to school there. What did you go to school for? So after I finished high school, I took a year off. And then this is kind of on my journey to becoming a Zamboni driver. But I went and took my fourth class power engineering at the college there. So I'm actually a power engineer by trade. Come on. Yeah. Okay. Now I have a question. Yeah. Because you hear power engineering. I know. What is that? What is that? Tell us what it means to be a power engineer. That's pretty cool. So it's not really what it sounds like. So as a fourth class, so the lowest level is fifth class and the top is first. Right. So you come in at fourth, you're kind of near the bottom. So it's basically boiler operation. So I was working when I worked, lived in Fort St. James. I was working at a power plant there. So we had a contract through BC Hydro to create clean energy. So yeah, it was like power engineering is basically boiler operation. Okay. I don't know much about this position, but I'm just going to ask and you can both of you actually can go at me. But is there a lot of women in this role? Is it or is it male dominated? Is it? Yeah. Like most trades, it is male dominated. I think in my power engineering class, there was about 16 or 18 of us and two of us were women. Yeah. Then that was pretty unseen before too. Wow. So why power? Why? Yeah. What was? Did you just wake up one day and go, I want to be a power engineer? Kinda. So you do those tests in high school about what should I do for my career and everything. So in high school, I took mechanics classes. Took mechanics classes and I was really into the trades. I thought I wanted to become a welder for a bit. Okay. Yeah. But I was interested in schooling and things like that. So when I saw power engineering, I was like, well, I could kind of have the best of both worlds where I can move up and do schooling and get to that higher level, but I can also be working with my hands. That's so cool. And you know what, when she says about that career test, I don't remember what mine was. Did you take that test? Probably, but I don't remember. Really? Yeah. Did you? Yeah. But mine was way off. Mine said I would be a good park ranger. And I don't even, I know, I don't even like, I don't like camping or none of that. I'm like park ranger? I know it was way off. Like, anyway, so I don't have a lot of faith in those, but it worked for you. That was pretty cool. Yeah. Well, it didn't say Zamboni driver on there. Okay. Yeah. It was almost there. But like, okay. So, well, that's amazing, actually. I know. So you're working in BC. Yeah. You're working at the power plant. Yep. Tell us about the journey to Edmonton. Somewhere you've never been. Yeah. Yeah. You've never been. In your entire life. Yeah. Yeah. And why Edmonton? I know. Oh, really? Just like, yeah. What was it? Was it the job that caught your eye or the city that caught your eye? So after I worked in the power plant, I did move back to Prince George. And then I actually worked in the local arenas there for a year. Oh, that's right. Yeah. Right. Okay. I was driving a Zamboni and getting into that. Prince George has a, they have a... Is it in a WHL team? The Prince George... Cougars. Cougars, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we have that. And then we actually have a BCHL team there too, Spruce Kings. So yeah, I was working in the rinks there. I actually had been to Edmonton once for a hockey tournament. Okay. And then that was about it. Yeah. I think I went to the airport here at one point too. Okay. So in that... Did you go when you came for the hockey tournament, did you go to the mall? No. No. But we actually went to Rexall in its last year. Oh, yeah. The old Rexall. Still there. Yeah. Still there. But yeah. No. Okay. Wow. Yeah. That's pretty incredible. I mean, yeah. So that you're already beginning to answer some of my many questions about a Zamboni driver. So you didn't apply to be a Zamboni driver. I did. So working in the ranks in Prince George, so that was what I knew I was going to be doing. And I had done that because I was kind of looking for a change as to what like the power engineering thing and different things like that. So I applied knowing I'd be a Zamboni driver. And having played hockey growing up, I was like, I've been around the rinks. It had sounded cool. So how did that work out in Prince George? They just needed a Zamboni driver and you were there? Or right place, right time? Kind of. So all the rinks in Prince George are ran by the city of Prince George. Yeah. So you apply to the city like as they call them, I believe it's facility operator was my official title. So you are like you're running the rinks, but you're also taking care of the facility and things like that. And part of that's driving the Zamboni. Yeah. And then so what got me into it too was in BC, you need a ticket to maintain the refrigeration plan and to do checks on it. So working in a rank, they want you to have some sort of refrigeration ticket, which actually my fourth class power engineering covers. Okay. So it worked out with that. Oh, okay. I was going to ask her, is it a special, is it your class five driver's license? Yeah, I was going to ask her, do you need, that's a good question. No, that's a good question. Do you need a ticket to drive the Zamboni? In BC, you need your class five. Come on. Yeah. Really? In Alberta, there's different rules around it. So I don't think you need your class five. Yeah. Wow. Okay. So you're in Prince George, you're taking care of a ice rink or ice rinks. And there's the Zamboni. And one day they come to you and they say, Brooklyn, we need you on the Zamboni. Yeah. Did you practice? Did you have the opportunity? Did you shadow, what happened? That's right. Did you sit next to someone as they did it? Because we'll talk about this. There's an art to this. Yeah. So when I got hired, they knew I was going to be taking care of it. So the facility I worked in actually had three sheets of ice. Oh, wow. So they told me it's going to be a lot of flights. You're going to be driving the Zamboni a lot. Wow. So yeah, you start out by just like watching and getting the pattern down. So you go from one rink to the next rink to the next rink on the Zamboni. They have different Zambonis. So you're walking a lot. Each ice rink had their own Zamboni? Yeah. So you got to... This is too much. This is unbelievable. So did you get to practice or was it just go do it? A little bit of both. So it was like the training and it worked out well, like this kind of training doesn't work for everyone. But it was like, you get the idea of it watching someone and then you just, you kind of have to just drive and then you incorporate different steps of the Zamboni as you learn. So at first, you're just driving. Then you're putting the conditioner down, but you're not using the blade. And then you're just using the water and then you incorporate the blade. See, now I'm glad you're explaining this because there's more to this than just getting on the Zamboni and driving around the rink. So you're learning to do this, you're doing it, and you have to know all these steps. I'm just straight up, I'm gonna be honest, the part that would get me is, I would get confused on the pattern. How did, cause there's a pattern to it, right? And I'd mess it up. I guarantee I would mess it up right away. Yeah, it's when you're watching it, and then when you first go to do it, I found it very confusing and most people do. Cause it doesn't really, like it kind of makes sense, but until you actually do it. But yeah, once you get into it, then it comes easily. Okay, so walk us through the steps again. Okay, you get on the Zamboni and you go out to the ice on the Zamboni. Walk us through the steps. Okay, so I can kind of, yeah, regular flood. So you drive out, get onto the ice. First thing you're doing is you're revving up the engine. So to make sure you have the full amount of power that you need. In the Zamboni. Yeah, in the Zamboni. And then, so what you're doing is you're dropping the conditioner. So the conditioner is the back part of the Zamboni, so it actually moves up and down. And what is the conditioner, is it? So that's kind of, that's like the whole, the cleaning, the cutting, so that does it all. So the conditioner is basically what re-does the ice. Oh, okay. So you're taking off, are you taking off a thin layer of ice and replacing it is what you're doing? Yeah. Yeah. So as you, when you have the conditioner down, you have a very long blade underneath. Right, right. So one thing I tell our ice student kids is that the blade is the same height as Mattias Ekholm. If you want a little fun fact. Yeah. Who scored by the way, three goals last night, got a hat trick. Three goals last night, yeah. First NHL, his first NHL hat trick last night. There was a lot of hats on the ice. Oh yeah. It went crazy last night. I was going crazy. I love Mattias. That's a tall blade. Mattias, they call him the viking. He is huge. He is a big guy. Yeah. I don't think you realize that sitting up in the stands, how big that actually is. No. That would be intimidating for a little guy like me. That's for sure. That's crazy. Yeah. When I pick it up, I'm not very tall. So it's towering above me for sure. But yeah, so that is connected underneath. There is a wheel. If you're watching any Zamboni driver, you'll see them turning a wheel a lot. So that is adjusting the pitch of the blade. Yeah. So if you're angling it more into the ice, then you're cutting more. And if you lift it up, so you're angling it less into the ice, then you're cutting less. Okay. This has answered years of questions because I always wonder why are they spinning the wheel? Why he's driving or she's driving and they're spinning the wheel. Like, first of all, that takes a lot of coordination. Yeah. Because you can't drive the Zamboni into the boards. No, I could not do it. Cam could not do that. It would go into the boards, guaranteed. Okay. So you're driving, you're spinning the wheel, you're adjusting the blade, you're adjusting the conditioner, all that kind of stuff. Yeah. All right. That's the first trip. Yeah. So on top of that, this is all happening at the same time. So you also are putting down a layer of water. Right. Hot water? Hot water. Yes. That's being heated in the Zamboni. No. So it's heated prior and then we fill up the Zamboni. Oh, okay. Yeah. It depends on the rink. Obviously, being an NHL facility, we have quite the extensive water treatment program and things like that. Was that in Prince George? Yeah. We had a water heater. It was hot water. And that works just as fine. Right. But yeah. So you're putting down hot water. You can control it. Our Zambonis are a bit more technical. So we have a system called the Fast Ice System. So on a regular Zamboni, you would have a towel behind and then it flattens out the water. Okay. So with the Fast Ice, it's a new big thing. So it actually, it's like a mist that comes out. So it has a bunch of spray nozzles. So it actually, it freezes faster and then you can put down more water because of that. So a lot of NHL ranks are using it now. So it just, it creates a nicer ice surface that can freeze quicker. See, this is very important because you have to have good ice. Yeah. You have to, like you can't, it can't have divots or a little, it's got to be good ice. So okay, so you're in Prince George, you're doing this three sheets of ice. You're doing a lot of Zamboni driving, getting Zamboni hours, I guess, under your belt. Yeah. Well, it's like flying, it is hours. It's like flying, Zamboni hours. And then one day you see an ad to be the Zamboni driver in Edmonton. Yes. That's actually exactly how it went. So technically, like a hockey player, you started in the minors. Yes. Yeah. This was one of your questions. This was, you started in the minors. Yep. See, now did you ever, cause when I was a kid in Edmonton playing hockey in the winter, we didn't have a Zamboni on the outdoor rink, but we had a shovel, a big shovel we had to use to shovel the ice. That would have been my starting point. Did you ever do that? I did that on the outdoor rink, like not as a job, but yeah. Using the shovel. Okay, so that really was your starting point. Yeah. Then you went up to the minors, to the Prince George Cougars people. And even that, when I was in Prince George, I didn't drive for the Cougars. So I was lucky enough, I had a really good crew there. And so when I got the job and gave my two weeks notice or whatever it was, they actually let me drive a couple WHL games to kind of get used to it. And then, yeah, on my last game, because I knew one of the broadcasting guys that worked for the Cougars, they gave me a special shout out. But one of the things they said during my flood was, oh, she got called up to the big leagues. So that was quite funny. This is like being in the minors and getting called up to the big leagues. This is so, it's like getting drafted. It's like, that's incredible. Okay, so I have a question about the interview process. Yeah. You're coming up to the big leagues. Yeah. You're obviously, you're interviewing. Is part of the interview on the Zamboni? Yeah. See, like, no. Do they do tests? No. No. No, not at all. Really? Yeah. So they took my word for it. Yeah. Wow. And they're like, oh, that sounds good. That's it? Yeah. And you're good. Yeah. And there's actually, so a part of what's cool about Rogers Place and like my position, so since we have power engineers that are working there. So some of the guys that came in actually like didn't drive Zamboni. So we like would teach them after the fact. So since we cover both sides of things, we can't always get someone that has both HVAC experience and the Zamboni experience. So and that kind of works out nice because you can teach them exactly how you want them to drive the Zamboni. And where do those guys come from? I think there was a couple guys like in building operations before. So it's not like I could come and apply to be a Zamboni driver. You could. You can do anything. I don't think they'd hire me. I don't. I don't think they'd. I don't know. Did they look at your driving abstract? Because that might have something to do with it. I think they did ask for that. Yeah. Okay. So now this is pretty cool. So you arrive for the or you do the interview. Yeah. And was there a lot of people applying for the job? There was a few. Yeah. So you got picked. Yeah. And then so I got picked because I had like both sides. So I had the power engineering and the Zamboni experience. You're multi-talented. Thank you. Yeah. So I didn't like I didn't think like we would sit at work like in Prince George and be like, Oh, like, what would it take to get to the NHL sort of thing? That'd be me, I'd be sitting around the lunchroom. So like, you think they're going to call you up? Like that would be, that'd be me. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Okay. So you come, you interview, you go, did you go back home? You went back to Prince George, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for the phone to ring. And then the phone rings. And then it's like, you got the job. Yeah. How excited were you? It was very exciting. So I actually didn't come out here for the interview. I did it over Zoom. Zoom. So that's why she didn't drive the Zamboni. They're like, on Zoom. Okay. Can you just drive around the rink there? Okay. Yeah. But it was, it was crazy because you get a first phone call. That's kind of like just to get an idea of who you are before you do the actual interview. So even that was like, that was like, I'm not going to get this, like obviously. And then the interview kind of- You really thought? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I didn't think I was going to get it. No. And then the interview came, and I was like, it actually went well. And I was like, I could answer the questions they had for me. I think it was well. And then the phone call came where they said, yep, we want you to work at Rogers Place. And then I had to quickly decide if I was going to move to Edmonton. Edmonton, yeah. So that was a big decision, but I'm glad I did it. Yeah. So what year did all of this happen for you? This was in 2022. So I started in December 22 with Rogers. Right. Did you jump up and down when they offered you the job? Were you like on draft day? A bit, yeah. Like the players got all excited? Hugged your parents and all that kind of stuff? Yeah, I was wearing a suit, too, so it was, yeah. I was wearing a suit. That's great. I love it. Wow, that's incredible. I know. Yeah. So tell us then about your first NHL game. Yeah. That you drove the Zamboni. How were your nerves? Did you get to practice? Yeah, so we actually have a little way that you can practice. So luckily we have a WHL team at Rogers. That's right. So you work your way up. Yeah, so you start with Oil Kings. And then just to make sure, it's not so much if you can drive the Zamboni, obviously they're confident in you as a Zamboni operator before that, but it's more the nerves of having the people there and watching you. So you start with the Oil Kings, do that a few times, make sure you're looking good, and then you move up to the Oilers. So that was a big jump, obviously. So now you're in the big leagues. Yeah. And I think what most people don't realize is the ice, especially in an NHL rink, it's big, like it's a big thing. And the players will tell you if they don't like the ice in certain arenas, they'll tell you if they do like the ice. So it's not, and I'm not saying it wasn't that way in Prince George, but now it's a whole different level. Yeah. And did you feel the pressure of that and the weight of that? Yeah. Yeah, it was definitely, especially because coming in, so Edmonton on the players' poll is number two in ice quality. So we are known for having good ice and having to live up to that expectation. Like you want to do your best and provide the best that you can. So yeah, that was a thought in my head. And of course, there's cameras everywhere. That was something I wasn't used to. Yeah. And you're maybe even on national TV, because sometimes they're showing the rink in between periods and stuff. And so according to Tim Shipton, telling me last night, Ship, if you're fact checking, because you said you were going to, he said that we are ice and our ice crew, and you have a main ice guy that is considered the best, one of the best in the league, if not the world. We have some of the best ice in the world. Yes. Yeah. Which is an art. Yeah. So that's actually our Director of Ice Operations, who is actually heading over to Italy right now. That's right. Yes. Going to the Olympics. Yeah. So he actually also does speed skating ice. So he does the long track. So yeah, he's... You can shout out his name. Oh, Matt Messer is his name. Okay. Awesome. Yeah. I heard he was going to Italy. Yeah. So he's on his way there. I think he's there by now. But yeah. So he'll be doing that. And yeah, he's definitely known in the NHL world for ice and really any of the ice world. Like people know his name and... Wow. Yeah. It's cool to work for and to learn from and... Yeah. So it's definitely a skill. Yes. And an art. Yeah. I'm going to say an art because it's an art. I have another question. Yeah. Okay. So you have... I'm sure the Zamboni goes a certain speed. Yeah. Yes. No, it's a good question. Yeah. What is the top speed of the Zamboni? So it's nine miles per hour. Really? Yeah. So in an app... Top speed. Top speed. Can't go past nine. So... There's a governor on it. Yeah. It is governed. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So in an NHL flood, like during a game, when there's two Zambonis out there, we are going five miles per hour, just over five. So yeah, we're not going that all out speed. So we are trying to go like slower than that all out speed, but yeah. Wow. I mean, that's, and yeah, you get in trouble if you go over five, like they have the gun on you, like, okay, you're out, you get a ticket. No. Like, I'm sure, yeah, I don't think they want us driving that nine miles per hour. I don't think I've really gotten it up to that speed, but... Now, can I ask a question? So in Prince George, it was one Zamboni on the ice? Um, so for every flood, it would be one, except for the WHL games, they had two. Yeah. So you come here and they have two now. There's always two. It's actually the same, so it's just one, except for games, we do two. Right. So on a regular day to day, you'll be doing just one Zamboni. You'll be by yourself. Okay. That leads me... Yeah. Probably for a TV and everything else, they probably have a timeline where it has to be... Yeah. How long do you have to do the ice? 18 minutes. 18 minutes. In the intermission. Well, okay. So can I just say... Because at the games, they have all these little half time... Or not half time. They have all these little between period things going on. You know, the little kids skating out there, the games they play. Yeah. How long is... Does that give you time? Yeah. So I believe they have four minutes. So it seems like longer when you're there. Yeah. So I was gonna say, yeah. But yeah. So once we start, our flood actually only takes five minutes with two machines. If everything goes perfectly, it's five minutes. We have it pretty dialed in. So yeah. Once the five minutes is over, then they have time to let the ice freeze. They do some patching. They put the nets on. So yeah. We're in that timeframe for sure. Now, I have another... This is what we heard. So correct us if we are incorrect. We heard that you were the first female Zamboni driver in the NHL. No, not the NHL. So I'm the first one for the Oilers. Okay. Yeah. So, and then there is, as of right... So when I say this, like there's not like a directory of Zamboni drivers in the NHL or anything, so... Yeah. Chicago, LA, John Smith. Yeah. So there is only, I think, about five of us right now in the NHL. So I'm the only full time for the Oilers. Okay. I'm the only woman that's done an Oilers game at home. Ever. Ever. That I know of. I think, no, I think true. Yeah, I think ever. Yeah, I agree. And then, so there's a few, there's one woman in Calgary, actually. Tampa Bay has one. There's one for the Islanders. So yeah, we're around. Do y'all ever like get together or like, do you like, do you call each other, do you have like a little Zamboni Women's Conference or anything? No. Fly into Vegas, have a little, you know, like. Oh, I wish. Yeah, I wish. Yeah, I have a couple of them on LinkedIn, you know, just to keep fresh, professional. Sure. Because I am one of the newer ones too. But yeah, I would love to have like a little, you know, even a group chat with them. Sure. That would be great. That would be really cool. Compare notes. If you're a Zamboni driver, you're listening to this right now. Female Zamboni driver. Call Brooklyn. Yeah, call Brooklyn. Find her on LinkedIn. Yeah, find her on the LinkedIn. That's right. Get her on the LinkedIn. And then maybe get her on the FaceTime or something. And you guys can have a conversation. That's pretty cool, though. That's really cool. Yeah. How many, there's how many teams in the league? There's 20. 32. 32 league teams? So five of you out of 32. Yeah. That's pretty cool, I think. Thank you. That's that. I mean, yeah, you should be proud. That's really awesome. And so yeah, so you made it from the min- while you made it from the little league, the little rink, outdoor rink all the way up to the NHL. And obviously, again, do you ever, do the players ever, I don't know if I can ask this in Edmonton, do they ever complain? Do they ever like the ice was a little chippy or there was a divot or did they ever like, do you hear about it? Like do they come to you guys and say, okay, we got to work on this? They don't come to me specifically, just in case. But yeah, there have been days where, so actually like each NHL game, the ice gets rated. So that's done by the refs. Who does that? The refs. Yeah! Really? So they rate the ice quality, they rate just the building quality, things like that. So we actually get a rating every game. Really? It's like Google review every game. Yes. Marty and Marilyn's son would do that. One of our guests. Yeah, their son is a senior NHL referee. Oh, nice. So really, they rate it. Is that right? And then you get the report. Yeah, so it will actually go to my boss, Matt Messer, and then so we get feedback on it. So we obviously like if we know it's not the best ice for the game or like something is happening like you know during the Stanley Cup Finals, it was very warm outside. I was going to say, yes. So what changes the dynamics of the ice? Yeah, so a big thing is like the temperature of the building. Humidity is a big one and the dew point of the air. So when it's too humid outside, it'll actually affect the ice. So last year like during the playoffs like keeping it cold. Because we're going to June. Yeah, we're and we're not like, the building wasn't designed for it. Could you imagine being in like Florida or LA or some? That's got to be tough. So actually Florida had better ice than us. Really? During the playoffs. So they because it's warm there all the time, they can design their building to that temperature. So is Rogers Arena an airlock, airlock building? Is it like pretty se-? It's pretty sealed, right? So we have air dampers that bring in outside air. Okay. But for sure, like if we know the air outside is too warm, we won't be using those so we can circulate inside air. So what I'm hearing here is there's a whole science to this. Yeah. This is not just you showing up on game night, jumping on the Zamboni, having a ring around a couple of times, and then going home. There's way more to this. See folks, this is why any of you who have been to games, I know you've sat there eating your popcorn, drinking your Pepsi, or Coke, whichever sponsors you. I think it's Pepsi at Rogers, and you're watching the Zambonis, and you're just in that mind frame of how do they, is that an easy job? Is that a hard job? Now you know, this is not an easy job. There's an art and a science to it. This is tough. I can see now why you have to come up through the minors, and you have to have a power engineering ticket. By the way, power engineering ticket sounds like a Power Ranger. I'm just saying like one of the superheroes. But anyways, don't you think? I think anyways, I think that's pretty cool. But so yeah, so this is not just, this is pretty cool. This is intense. Yeah. And so Brooklyn, tell us about the crew that you work with. It has to be a pretty substantial team. Yeah. Yeah. How many are in kind of your area? So for full-time arena technicians, that's what my title is. Like full-time job? Yeah. So at Rogers Place, there's seven of us. And then we have a manager and two directors. One will cover the ice side of things. One will cover the HVAC. And then for part timers, we have about ten or twelve. So a lot of that is coming in for games and filling in those roles. Just part-time guys. Yeah. They work at Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Yeah. Where is Baskin-Robbins? At the mall. I'm just saying, because then they feel cold. It's like it's ice. It's like ice cream. Anyway. Okay. Just saying. I know. I'm just saying though, they're part-time. They have to work somewhere. Okay. All right. Yeah. And then we have our ice crew as well. So there's about six of them right now. So they'll be on the ice patching, they'll be moving the nets and stuff. So and then for Oilers Games, we have the orange and blue ice crew that do the shovels and things like that. Those are all the people that come out real fast. Yeah, real fast. Is that a good thing? Like, is that okay for the Zamboni and stuff? They're out there fast. Yeah. So we, like on the TV timeouts, that's when they'll head out. That's when they're out there, yeah. And then it helps us, like it is mandatory by the NHL to have those breaks and to have the full shovel crew there. But when we do a flood, if there's too much snow, it doesn't allow us to cut the ice as properly. Oh yeah, okay. So they're getting rid of that. That's what they're doing. They're taking the, yeah. Because the skates will, they'll spray and there'll be snow and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, this is, I'm telling you, I'm not even kidding you. This isn't, it's not quite, maybe the penguin, I don't know. This is unbelievable. I didn't know any of this. Did you? No. I didn't know none of this. Most people didn't. No. This is one of our best podcasts for information, I think. This is unbelievable. Brooklyn, you're amazing. Okay, now the game's over. They do the three stars, they come out. Hunter comes out and does his thing. Hunter was right in the suite next to us yesterday. And he was really loud. His drum. Anyway, that's a whole other show. That drum was like, I needed earplugs. Anyways, everybody goes home. Is your job done or do you guys have to? Nope. So a lot of times, especially this month, we're very busy this month. Yeah. So what we'll do, especially if we have the orange and blue ice crew and our ice crew is we'll get right to doing board signs. So we replace all the ads on the rink. Yeah. So we do that and then we measure the ice after every game, see where we're at. And then we get into doing the floods for the night and we kind of determine how the rest of our night's going to go from what the measurements are, what we know is the next day, so. Lot of planning. So it just doesn't end. There's work to do. Yeah. We on night shifts, we work till 2.30 in the morning. Come on. Yeah. 2.30! Yeah. So they're late. See, this is great. And what time do you get to come in the next day? Well, usually. 7am? No. So the morning shift will be. So if we're so when we're morning shift, we're 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Night shift is 4: 39:24

30 p.m.

to 2: 39:25

30 a.m. So we have that break. How many Zambonis do they have? So we have two for Rogers Place Ice. We have one for a downtown community arena. And then we also have one for our Plaza Ice outside. So we have four total. We have and we're in beautiful downtown Acheson. And in the suburbs over there, there's a Zamboni company. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're out of Acheson. Yes, that's that. We drive by them. Yeah, they're right over there. I believe, yeah, they provide us with some products like Zamboni products and everything. So yeah, they're. Hey, look at that connection! Beautiful downtown Acheson. One of the suburbs is a Zamboni company. That's pretty cool. I have another question. Okay. So how difficult is it? Let's just say, and I know the schedule probably allows it to look different, but there's lots of things that happen in Rogers Place outside. Yeah. Outside of, you know, concerts and yeah, rodeo. Oh, yeah. Things like that. How do you, yeah. That dynamic, right? Are you in and out helping with those pieces too? Um, kind of, but not really. So we're fortunate at Rogers Place. So we have a team that does all the conversions for us. Um, so basically what we do is if we know, like say we have a game one night and we have a concert the next day. So after that game, we'll get the ice ready. We'll get it clean. We'll get the edges taken down so that all the flooring fits in properly. And then we basically hand it off to conversions. They cover the ice. So they put flooring right on top of the ice. Right on top. Yeah. And how is that for the ice? Like, is that? Oh, totally fine. Yeah. It's a few layers, so it will have like a barrier, so it keeps the cold inside. But it just keeps everything cold. Obviously, it's not perfect. Like, when you're cleaning up the ice, you'll have a beer that was spilt and things like that. But it is totally fine. The one that amazes me is the rodeo. When the rodeo, yeah, all the dirt, when it comes to town, that whole floor is just dirt, obviously. And it's not a thin layer, it's a thicker layer of dirt. For the animals, they can't have a really thin layer. Yeah. So for dirt shows, because we also do like Monster Jam and stuff. Right, Monster Jam. Yeah, so they have dirt. So we actually, so we put down our flooring that we use for concerts and then we have basically a giant tarp that they put down. Right. And then they do a third layer on top. And then so it's even more sealed than whatever would be for concerts. So when they take all that off, and the game's coming up, is the ice in good shape, bad shape, you guys got to work at it, get it back into... So it really depends. Some shows, they take the flooring off, and it just takes a scrape and a flood, and it's pretty much good to go. Other times, there's stuff that was spilled, there's dirt, there's whatever. So we can do a concert cleanup in between an hour to three hours. What? Yeah. So we're fast. Yeah. So if like, again, that's it's really depending on what the ice looks like, but we basically we do like a scrape. So that's basically just cutting off a layer of ice, right? Without putting anything down, right? And then we'll go in on the ice with backpack sprayers. So just with water and like helping all the debris and everything get out of the ice. So a lot of work. Then we do a flood. Oh yeah. Yeah. It's a lot of work. And who do you have a special crew that just paints the lines and the logos and everything on the ice? Are there guys that just do that or y'all do that? Yeah, that's us. Y'all do that. So yeah, we do that every year. Yeah, this year was on Labor Day. We did that. So yeah. Is there ever, no, I'm sorry, I have so many questions. No, this is good. Is there ever a time when the ice is completely out of the arena or is it a 24, like 365? Right. No, so we take it out for the summer. On our downtown community arena, it does stay in pretty much all year, just because there's like training camps, things like that, that goes on. But no, basically once the season's done, we'll take the ice out. That makes it easier for concerts and then less having to... So it's a cement floor? Yeah, cement floor. Yeah. Folks, I'm telling you, this is amazing. It just is blowing me away. I know. It really is. The things you learn on Coffee In The Park. No, I know, because you know what? We take it for granted. We go to the games, we enjoy the game, but it's professional hockey, it's the NHL, the best players in the world. And we happen to, in our city, we're very fortunate to have the best player, in my opinion, in the world, McDavid and then others, and Draisaitl and them. And you just take for granted, well, it's the ice and away they go, but there's so much to it, and you are so skilled in what you do, and this is incredible. It takes a whole team, it's not just the players. No, and yeah, it's incredible. It is. Yeah. Oh, I can't believe it. We don't have any more questions, but we're gonna come to our final. I know, we're coming to, like we're over 45 minutes already, yeah. So you know it's a good podcast. Like I'm just saying, like it's, we could go part two on this one probably, but anyways, yeah, okay. Okay, Brooklyn, what is the best piece of advice you've been given either personally or professionally that you carry with you to this day? Oh, probably just do your best. Like I know that sounds simple, but for me, like if you want to be a Zamboni driver, do your best at it, and then you can make it to the NHL. And if you want to do, if you want to be a doctor, if you want to be a lawyer, if you want to be anything in life, just do your best. And that's really, that's what I think about all the time is how can I do my best today? You know, so any kids listening, not, not. Kids love watching the Zamboni, they do. Kids, if, and so, hey, you know what? If you're thinking, I want to do that one day. Yeah, it's, yeah. And, and, and maybe look up Brooklyn and, and, and just. I don't think the kids are on the LinkedIn. No, the kids, the kids aren't on the LinkedIn. Not yet. Not until they're like 17. Then they get on the LinkedIn. But do you ever do, do you ever like bring in schools or anything to talk to them about what you do? And like a field trip type thing? So actually, the Oilers have been doing it, I believe, since Rexall. They have classes come in and they do the Oilers Ice School. So they're there for about a week and they learn all the different sides of Rogers Place because there's so much you could get into. But yeah, one of the things they do is they come and have a chat about the Zamboni and then they always draw the Zamboni. And so a lot of times like I've gotten to speak to the kids. I want to do that. Yeah, it's really fun. We should do that. We should find out what day they're doing the Zamboni stuff and go to the Zamboni day. That would be really cool. And I have a suggestion for the Edmonton Oilers, because we've been looking. We were looking for today. We wanted to find little Zamboni, diecast Zamboni Zambonis. And I can't find them anywhere. Oh, really? And last night at the game, I'm going to be honest, I walked around pretty much the entire rink, going to all the authentic stores. And I asked them, do you have any little Zambonis? And most of the time I got a funny look. But I want a little Zamboni in my office. Anyway, they're pretty cool. So Oilers, they'd sell, I'm telling you right now. And then you could have Brooklyn one day standing there signing them. That would be even better. Or a Zamboni hat, an Oilers Zamboni hat, and Brooklyn could sign them. So they do have the popcorn bucket right now. I don't know if you saw those. I didn't know. Oh yeah, so they have the Zamboni, the wheels move, and you can actually open up the bucket. Wait, why did I not see this last night? Because you're not in... I know, yeah. It would have been in the concessions, I think. Yeah, yeah. Okay, that's it. I'm there Saturday night. Will they still have it Saturday night? I hope so. I'm going downstairs Saturday night. I'll try to bring you one if they don't. I'm going downstairs Saturday night. I'm getting two Zamboni, one for you, thank you, and a Zamboni bucket for me. That's what I'm getting. That's great. I'm just saying. That's what we're doing. This podcast has been amazing. Brooklyn, you're phenomenal. Thank you so much. Oilers should be so proud to have you. Thank you. Ship, proud to have her, man. And the whole team over there. And you truly are amazing. And it is. It's a skill. It's an art. It's amazing. And so thank you for taking the time to do this. Oh, thank you. And I know, I know, I've sounded a little like I'm a 15-year-old or a 16-year-old one, but I really, this is really cool. I've, everything, you've answered every question pretty much. Oh, good. I've had about this. And so this is cool. So, hey, everybody, thanks for listening. Share this podcast with everybody you know, your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, your enemies. If you don't have a friend, make one. And this would be the podcast. If you don't have a friend, when you're at the bar or wherever you are, say, hey, you want to hear a great podcast about the Zambonis, this would make you a friend for life. I agree. Tell them about this. And just tell them. And then make sure that you, wherever you get your podcasts or at www.coffeeinthepark.com, you can download them off of there. But you know what the big thing is, Jennifer? We want people to subscribe, Cam. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. So that every week, on Thursday, bam! On your phone, there it is. Hey, that was pretty good. Bam! On your phone, there it is. It's going to come up, Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam. You don't have to remember then, it's just automatically there. It's there. And wow, this has been great. So thanks everybody for listening. And... Thanks again to our sponsors, Wing Snob and Mprint. Wing Snob. I think, I'm going to talk to Mike Chadi. They should put a Wing Snob on the side of the Zamboni. Can you do that? Do they advertise on the Zamboni? Oh, yes. Okay, Mike, we'll talk. Anyway, that would be the coolest. It will sell a lot of wings with that thing going around. Anyway, thanks everybody. Thanks for listening. See you next week.