iStockphoto / Marko Hannula
A Zamboni driver in Quebec, Canada was reportedly arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI) after they crashed the Zamboni into the boards during the time between two hockey games earlier this week.
This all went down as fans in the stand watched on in amazement and a video has since gone viral that shows the Zamboni heading parallel to the boards before crashing into the other side, reportedly causing damage to one of the doors on the ring.
While there is absolutely nothing funny about driving under the influence, seeing media outlets report on a ‘low speed crash’ will always be amusing and remind me of the Austin Powers scene where the guy had a full 30 seconds to get out of the way of the oncoming steamroller. Here is the video of the Zamboni driver reportedly charged with a DUI following the incident:
A Zamboni driver from Gatineau was arrested for resurfacing the ice under the influence. (In this 30-second video released by local police, the driver of the Zamboni can be seen dressed as a kangaroo with a hood over his head as he begins to resurface the ice and crashes at far… pic.twitter.com/IjE5Lpu7Wp
— Sauce Hockey (@saucehockey) October 23, 2024
How easy is it to not hit the boards, seriously?! Every Zamboni driver ever makes a living but not hitting the boards. Get it together, man.
Following the incident, Sgt. Martin Fournel of Securite Publique MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais told the National Post that “everal people witnessed the event and one of them called police after seeing signs that the driver was impaired.”
After that, police said they administered a sobriety test and the Zamboni driver was arrested for a DUI.
The fact that this occurred at all is unbelievable but it is also wild this occurred in Canada where there are more Zambonis but 1/10th of the population of the United States. I would have fully expected this to happen in Florida or Minnesota or Wisconsin before Quebec.