Anyone visiting the Strathmore Family Centre would have seen an ice resurfacer flooding the rinks between ice times, but what kind of work goes into running the machines?
According to facility manager Craig Dilts, it can take up to several months of training before an employee is allowed to flood the ice unattended.
"In order to get trained on it, you have to go through a program that we have. There are a few industry courses as well that our staff participate in."
An ice resurfacer lays down a layer of clean water, which freezes to form a smooth surface on the ice. It serves as an alternative to standard flooding, which occurs at outdoor rinks.
"Outdoor ice and indoor ice are very different, especially the maintenance practices and quality. With outdoor ice, you're at the mercy of Mother Nature. When it's hot out, you probably don't have very good ice," added Dilts. "Inside, we can control all of that. We have a refrigeration plant, and we maintain the temperature."
Since the vehicle was designed in the 1940s, they have become an integral part of any indoor ice rink. Dilts spoke about what the world could look like had they never been invented.
"It would have been a very long process between floods, which was the case before they had powered resurfacers. A whole crew would come out with shovels and a large cart of water, and it could take up to an hour to do one flood," said Dilts.
"I don't think the sport as a whole would have taken off if the ice resurfacer didn't come at the time it did."
The ice at the Family Centre Arena is expected to be closed by the end of May as the hockey and ringette seasons end, and lacrosse begins.