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His name Is Joe, and he drives the Zamboni (7 photos)

In this week's Mid-Week Mugging, we talk to Joe Breedon. The biggest hockey players move for him. Men and women admire him from their seats

The biggest hockey players move for him. Men and women admire him from their seats. Kids stare jaw-dropped at the glass waving. Everybody wants to be him; his name is Joe and he drives the Zamboni.

Joe Breedon is the outdoor recreation facility coordinator for the City of Barrie and with the City Hall skating rink having just opened for the season and the Centennial Beach rink opening Saturday, he is a busy guy.

“My hours are essentially 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., but that’s more of a guide,” said Breedon. “In this business we joke that we may work for the city but our boss is Mother Nature. The weather really dictates when I start and finish but I really don’t mind it, I enjoy this work.”

There are a few types of ice-resurfacing machines; the Olympia and Okay Electra being two other North American companies, but the City of Barrie uses the Zamboni brand and far and above the most popular. A famous song played at ice rinks around the country is the Gear Daddies 1990 classic Zamboni or more popularly known as I Wanna To Drive The Zamboni. Breedon is well aware of the song and the pop culture phenomenon of the machine and his friends always remind him of it.

“Oh yeah, my buddies have always been on me about it,” said Breedon. “If a commercial comes on or the song is in a movie I get the hey its Joe, its all in fun and truthfully it's all good. Everybody loves the Zamboni guy; I remember first starting and helping out at the Barrie Molson Centre for a Colts game. I was watching the guy driving it and kids were right up against the glass waving, families were taking pics, it's crazy how it's caught on in that way but I love it.”

The other side to the Zamboni’s fun side is the work side. Breedon knows that while it looks like he’s just driving around and killing time, there is work that goes into the job. Barrie has 12 Zambonis to handle the many ice surfaces it has and not only is there constant maintenance on the machines that can cost anywhere between $80,000 to $100,000, but on the ice you have to know how it works if you want to drive the Zamboni.

“A lot of people don’t know this but it's actually a Jeep chassis, so a Jeep frame,” said Breedon. “Basically it’s shaving the ice by taking out the ice and putting new ice on. We use hot water because there’s less oxygen allowing it to freeze faster. Its equipped with board brushes to get snow away from the edges as your turning near the boards and is equipped with wash water that helps get rid of extra snow and debris in deep skate cuts before the blade of the Zamboni goes by. The outdoor rinks are obviously more demanding with weather conditions, the machine can only handle a quarter or half inch of snow so we have to be on that when it happens. It is definitely a lot more than just driving in circles on the ice, but that's all part of the training and getting experience.”

Breedon is a Barrie boy through and through, having graduated from Barrie North and grown up playing on many of the fields and ice surfaces he now maintains. While he is all about the ice surfaces right now, in the spring and summer months he is at the Barrie Sports Complex keeping the IBL championship Barrie Baycats on the best field he can.

“My first experience with the city was 2005 with the sports turf and complex up in Midhurst,” said Breedon. “I was actually at the complex on opening day as a student and through school just continued to keep at it. I’ve always loved the outdoors and went to Fleming for Forestry but then came back home and went to Georgian for Recreation and Leisure. I’m always doing courses online too just to keep up with the changes in the industry, making sure I’m on top of anything that can help make our ice and fields the best.”

Despite making the sports atmosphere in Barrie the best he can, Breedon admits to not having time to play sports himself. After working all day it's nice to unwind somewhere other than the office.

“I tried to play softball one season but its like heading back into work a little bit,” said Breedon. “I enjoy a round golf here and there and getting out with friends, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist so seeing the playing areas I may be noticing if something needs fixing. People play sports to get outside and get exercise, I’m doing that all day so I don’t have to seek it out after hours. I'm very lucky that way and this job really is perfect for me or anyone who loves the outdoors.”