Manitoba Zamboni driver is charged with impaired driving

A Manitoba driver of an ice-resurfacer or Zamboni has been charged with impaired driving and also resisting arrest after he crashed into the boards that line the ice rink in Ste Anne Manitoba near Winnipeg.

Zamboni is actually the name of the founder of one of the main companies that make the ice resurfacers and the term is now used generally to refer to the machines. The machine in the photo is not a Zamboni make. During intermissions in a hockey game the Zamboni resurfaces the ice by driving around the rink.

During the second intermission of the game. Martin Kintscher, manager of one of the teams in the contest, said:"On his first lap he struck the gate where the Zamboni drives onto the ice, and broke the boards and also broke pieces off the actual Zamboni. One piece got stuck under the Zamboni, which left a ridge on the ice with every lap."

Kintscher cancelled the game because of the damage to the rink and the ice even though the driver of the Zamboni insisted the ice was in good condition. This is what really got the officials concerned. Kintscher said he did not detect any alcohol smell on the driver or bloodshot eyes but they could not believe that he could think that the ice was in good condition. Kintscher said:"What really set us off was that there was an issue with the ice and he said, 'It's good enough, play on it.' There's ridges on it. You can't play on that. It's like playing out in the parking lot. It's about half an inch high and an inch wide, with every pass."

The driver got angry when officials claimed the ice was not suitable for playing on and became even more upset when supervisors were called in. Kintscher and others had to fix the gouges in the ice. According to police, the driver was not cooperative during his arrest.

Marc Robichaud, the police chief in Ste Anne noted that in Manitoba you can be charged with impaired driving even though you are not on a road. The Zamboni while not a car or truck or driven on a road is still considered a motor vehicle. The driver, a man in his 30s was taken into custody and charged with impaired driving, resisting arrest, and refusing a breathalyzer test, a test that determines alcohol level in the blood. Usually if they are refused it is because the test would show a reading above the allowable limit, although the driver could have other reasons. Refusal is itself an offense. The driver was released but will appear in court in January.