The ice whisperer

Driving on ice is something most people try to avoid, but not Frank Butler. As the lead operations assistant, he and his team — Jamie Lord and Camile Collier — are responsible for making, maintaining, and removing the ice surface at Ingalls Rink. To do that, Butler operates an ice resurfacing machine commonly referred to as a Zamboni.*

An ice resurfacer cuts, cleans, and smooths stadium rinks. Ingalls has two electric-powered resurfacing vehicles that weigh 6,000 pounds each. Yale Men’s and Women’s hockey fans will regularly see Butler driving one of them after game warmups and in between the first two periods, “shaving and making ice” on the rink floor.

Watching from the stands, the machine looks like a fun ride, but it is a bit more complicated to maneuver. Butler must pay attention to the rate and speed at which it shaves the ice, ensure it is spraying the proper amount of water, understand the current ice conditions, and keep the machine on a straight path.

Frank Butler has been around hockey and ice rinks since he started playing at age four.

Avoiding penalties

“It takes one machine about eight minutes to resurface Ingalls; six minutes with our two vehicles. It’s a blast to drive but slightly nerve-wracking during a game because you have 15 minutes to complete the process per NCAA rules. If we aren’t done within that time, the team can get penalized,” said Butler.

A conditioner with a vertical and horizontal augur and a sharp steel blade is on the back of the vehicle. During the resurfacing process, the blade is lowered, scraping the ice surface and collecting the snow into a tank while simultaneously spraying water to loosen dirt or debris also collected. Lastly, it sprays and spreads hot water, which quickly freezes, making a new layer of ice atop the already frozen rink surface.

Believe it or not, driving one of these is a bucket list item for many people, said Butler.

“Last year, we purchased two new machines to replace our 35-year-old Zambonis. These new vehicles, called Mammoths, have passenger seats. The previous models didn’t. Now, during games, we pick a young person from the crowd, and with their parents’ permission, they get to ride with us in between periods. It’s been a lot of fun, and the kids are thrilled.”

Concrete slab to Bulldog pride

After the season ends in mid-April, Butler and his team take the ice down. The process starts with raising the temperature of the rink floor and scraping and discarding as much of the frozen surface as possible. The team lets the rest melt and uses a ride-on floor scrubber to vacuum the remaining water.

It takes one machine about eight minutes to resurface Ingalls.

“Our custodial team comes in and washes the floor, which, when all ice and logos are removed, is a simple gray concrete slab,” said Butler.

In August, Butler and his team prepare the rink for the season by slowly cooling the floor temperature over the course of a week. This process also includes restarting the dehumidification and air conditioning systems to dry the building’s air.

When the floor gets down to a frosty 14 degrees, a thin mist of water is applied with a large sprayer. The next three layers consist of a mixture of water and white ice paint, which is sprayed on using a garden hose and pump. To keep the ice frozen, the floor temperature will remain between 16 and 18 degrees throughout the season.

“The ice needs to be 1.25 inches thick to skate on and 1.5 inches thick to play on. If the surface is too thin, players will skate right through it. Also, we hand-paint the logos and game lines — the goals, creases, and hashmarks,” said Butler.

An ice resurfacer cuts, cleans, and smooths stadium rinks. Ingalls has two electric-powered resurfacing vehicles that weigh 6,000 pounds each.

Made for the job

Butler has been around hockey and ice rinks since he started playing at age four, and later watched his son play in college and the United States Hockey League. Before coming to Yale over two years ago, he worked for the Town of East Haven as assistant director of recreation, which included managing their rink. It was there that he began “making ice” by getting some instruction from a colleague and learning the rest on the job.

“I love it here; my colleagues are great, and I enjoy being around the hockey community. The funny thing is I used to come to Ingalls Rink to watch games. Now I get to work here — how lucky am I?” said Butler.