The Maple Leaf Gardens’ Zamboni lives on in Australia
To the uninitiated hockey fan, the occasional emergence of that weird tractor-like van thingy onto the ice can elicit confusion. What is that glorified road sweeper? And why does it whir in circles around NHL rinks?
Well, it is called a Zamboni, after its inventor, Frank Zamboni, who needed something to expedite the ice resurfacing process at his 1940s rink. A serial tinkerer, Zamboni developed the mechanised ice resurfacer, which creates a smooth slate by shaving the top layer and applying hot water in its wake. The NHL first used Frank’s contraption in 1954, and it has remained a hockey staple ever since. (1)
Among the world’s most sacred ice, of course, was that in Maple Leaf Gardens, the storied fiefdom of the eponymous Toronto team from 1931 through 1999. It was there, after all, that the star-crossed Maple Leafs last raised the Stanley Cup, way back in 1967, imbuing the frozen fortress with hallowed meaning. Decades of pride and pain, happiness and heartbreak were chiselled into that fabled ice, which resonated with locals like a cherished family heirloom.
As such, when Maple Leaf Gardens closed at last century’s end, and its beloved tenants moved to a plush new arena across town, worshippers yearned to plunder keepsakes from their hockey tabernacle. Accordingly, Maple Leafs management arranged an auction of some 800 Garden items, open to attendance and televised locally. (2)
Mark Healy was one such attendee. An entrepreneur and philanthropist, Healy ran Canadian Tire branches for more than 20 years and had become well-known in the tight-knit community of Oakville, Ontario, his latest stop. (3) A rabid Leafs fan, Healy always sought novel ways to promote his business and charity endeavours, and he ventured to the November 2000 auction seeking Garden tchotchkes to display in his store. (4)
Healy had an ulterior motive, however, unbeknown to anyone else. You see, Mark was also in the market for a new parade float. Yes, a parade float. As in, some kind of rolling vessel in which his wife and four children could ride through Oakville’s annual Santa Claus parade. A few years before the auction, Monica, Mark’s three-year-old daughter, fell from their existing float and required hospitalisation. Healy vowed to source a safer alternative, and the Gardens sale had him thinking outside the box. Why? Because its Zamboni was available for bids, and Healy had a vision. (5)
While others fought for turnstiles and banners, benches and signs, nets and photos, Healy zeroed in on the ice resurfacer, which the Maple Leafs used between 1992 and 1999. (2) (6) Bids trickled in, ratcheting from $5,000 to $10,000, then $15,000 and $20,000. Ultimately, the final price was $26,000. And the winner? Healy, of course. “Let’s see Walmart top that,” the maverick told reporters. “A new one costs about $65,000 US, but my mechanics can keep this one going.” (4)
Healy rang home and told his wife, Cynthia, to turn on the television, which she did, just in time to see Mark interviewed next to his new prized possession. “I did this for my daughter, Monica,” he explained. “Monica was injured when she fell off our company’s float in the Santa Claus parade. I don’t want that ever to happen to another child. So, I bought the Zamboni! I think it will make a great parade float. And we can use it to smooth the ice at the outdoor rink we’re building for the kids in our town. Open the garage door. I’m coming home!” (5)
Despite joking that he planned to drive the Zamboni from Maple Leaf Gardens to his Oakville store – a journey of around 80 kilometres – Healy hired a flatbed tow truck for $100 CDN and had the machine delivered there, instead. And there the historic Zamboni stood, in front of Healy’s Canadian Tire dealership, eliciting wry smiles from townsfolk. (7)
Such was the local buzz, in fact, Oakville mayor Ann Mulvale rode in the Garden Zamboni when the Santa Claus parade next came around, in November 2001. The Healy kids marched alongside with their junior hockey teammates, dishing out free tickets to a forthcoming game. (5)
Ultimately, Healy turned the Zamboni into a niche landmark visited by the hockey glitterati. Don Cherry, the iconic former NHL player, coach and commentator, signed the Zamboni, as did ex-Maple Leafs Curtis Joseph and Paul Henderson, in addition to Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko and Monica Healy herself. (7)
Mark took the Zamboni to fundraising events and community gatherings, often attracting a long line of patrons keen to take photos with an obscure piece of hockey history. In July 2001, a just-married couple – Peter and Shawna MacKeller – even rode the Zamboni away from their wedding, such was its aura. (7) (8)
Nevertheless, shortly thereafter, Healy decided to sell the Zamboni, which brought joy to his family and friends but outlived its utility to them. Ever innovative, Healy turned to eBay, then in the nascence of its popularity, to source potential buyers. (5) And finally, in January 2002, Healy sold the Zamboni at a handsome profit - $40,000 CND - to Tom Barrett, a gentleman in Australia, a land 11,000 miles away famed for its complete dearth of ice and snow. (7)
“They used it for the arenas they owned in Perth, Australia,” Healy told me recently. “When I sold it, there was about 1,000 hours on it, and they usually last for 10,000 hours. A brand new one back then was approximately $80,000 CDN. Tom also bought a bunch of other hockey equipment from us, and we put it in a container and shipped it off to Australia.” (7)
Picking up the trail, I managed to contact Calandra Bennett, a relative who also serves as the managing director of Cockburn Ice Arena, a commercial facility abutting Bibra Lake in Perth. Calandra confirmed the family business still owns the Maple Leaf Gardens Zamboni, and it is still in operation, more than three decades after its NHL genesis, albeit with regular facelifts along the way. (9)
Alas, this tale is largely unknown. Healy told the story in a 2008 children’s book – Monica & The Zamboni – with proceeds going to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, which treated his daughter after her fall. Sadly, however, that book is now out of print, and the episode has never enjoyed the exposure it truly deserves.
Mark kindly sent me a copy of the book as we discussed his niche in Leafs lore. Monica made a full recovery, I learned, and is now a distinguished photographer. Mark moved on from tires and now focuses on investing and business consultancy. Part of Maple Leaf Gardens, meanwhile, has been transformed into a Loblaws supermarket, its floors cleaned with a mechanised buffer rather than a Zamboni.
Still, that old ice machine survives – in Western Australia, of all places, where summer temperatures exceed 30°C. The next time you see a Zamboni during a hockey game, then, regale your friends with this tale, explaining how the Maple Leaf Gardens machine wound up on another (far sunnier) continent. They will probably be astounded, and rightly so. You couldn’t make it up.
Sources
1. Zamboni.com. [Online] https://zamboni.com/about/zamboni-archives/the-zamboni-story/4/#:~:text=On%20New%20Years%20Day%20in,was%20impressed%20with%20the%20results..
2. Sportsnet. [Online] October 11, 2012. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-gardens-memorabilia-auction/#:~:text=About%20800%20items%20were%20available,were%20among%20the%20items%20sold.
3. Retail Insider. [Online] February 27, 2018. https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2018/02/mark-healy-sears-canada/.
4. CBC. [Online] November 20, 2000. https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/fans-shell-out-cash-for-gardens-memorabilia-1.220807.
5. Healy, Mark. Monica and the Zamboni. 2008.
6. Oakville Beaver. [Online] January 25, 2002. https://images.ourontario.ca/test21/110639/page/42.
7. Healy, Mark. March 20, 2026.
8. Oakville Beaver. [Online] July 11, 2001. https://images.ourontario.ca/Test21/page.asp?ID=3173015&po=3&q=zamboni&docid=OO1.3173015.
9. Bennett, Calandra. April 20, 2026.