In the Cards: Honoring Zamboni creator

Upper Deck commemorated Frank Zamboni and his machine on a trading card in 1991.

In 1949, Frank Zamboni of Paramount, Calif., debuted the ice resurfacing machine, known today simply as the Zamboni. It took nine years of trial and error to build the first working prototype, which featured a custom-built chassis, engine parts from an old army truck and a hydraulic cylinder pulled from a Douglas bomber plane. The task of resurfacing the ice, which took an hour and five people to finish, could now be completed by one person in 15 minutes. Upper Deck commemorated Zamboni and his machine on a trading card in 1991.

This is an edited version of a feature that appeared in the October 26 edition of The Hockey News magazine. Get in-depth features like this one, and much more, by subscribing now.