Cold laps, hot time: What it's like to cruise the ice at 5 mph aboard a Zamboni machine

Savannah Ghost Pirates President Bob Ohrablo said he’s been in hockey for 39 years and he’s never driven a Zamboni.

Ghost Pirates forward Pat Guay, a fifth-round draft pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s draft and a player who has a bright future, said he’s been playing hockey since he was 3, and has never been on a Zamboni.

This writer has been around hockey for about a month and thanks to the gracious kindness of Cristiano Simonetta, who is director of communications and broadcasting for the Ghost Pirates, and Tim Junis, facilities manager at the Enmarket Arena, this hockey novice has done something neither Ohrablo and Guay has.

My Zamboni drive was only a short distance forward and then backward, but it was a cool experience. Simonetta even shot a short video which my wife sent to several family members.

I possess a penchant for and love of speed, so it was fitting that I was finally on board a machine that runs at about 5 miles per hour.

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Riding with the King

In the many years I’ve been writing sports, I have had several opportunities to partake in several different activities in pursuit of a story.

I've played nine holes of golf with Jack Nicklaus as well as nine with Joe DiMaggio. Two others stand out that involved two of the biggest racing legends this country has produced.

As sports editor of The Huntington Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia, I had the pleasure of riding several laps with Richard Petty. He was the King then, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s still the King.

This was in the days when just about anyone with an oval track and stands could host a NASCAR event, and Huntington was home to a dirt track that hosted stock car races for three consecutive years.

The promoters, wanting to get some pre-race publicity, set me up with an interview with Petty, who offered to take me for a spin while he was learning the nuances of the track. I hopped into that No. 43 blue Plymouth without hesitation.

What followed was a real ride. Petty was driving as if he was in the middle of the race. He made every turn and twist he thought he might have to make. We were all over the track, it seemed, and clods of dirt flew everywhere.

When it was over, he was as gracious as could be and had given me quite a thrill. Sadly, Buddy Baker was Sunday’s winner and Fireball Roberts came in a close second.

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A stomach-churning ride

My next racing experience came courtesy of now-retired Savannah Morning News Sports Editor Anthony Stastny. He assigned me a story on the Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance & Motoring Festival, which at the time feature vintage car racing on the road course on Hutchinson Island. I was to write a feature about a driver named Hurley Haywood.

I googled Haywood and discovered was he had won more endurance races than any other American driver. Among his wins were three 24-hour races at LeMans, five 24-hour races at Daytona, two 12-hour races at Sebring and 18 starts at the Indianapolis 500.

What Stastny did not tell me was not only was I going to interview Hurley, who was as nice and gracious as the King, I was also joining him for a hot laps ride in his Porsche.

Not knowing about the ride ahead, I stopped at the Crystal Beer Parlor for a large bowl of chili and a cold one before going to Hutchinson.

The interview went great and then Haywood said, “C’mon, let’s go.” Full of innocence, I hopped in and off we went.

Haywood gave me three laps at racing speeds after I'd made the mistake of telling him of my experience riding with the King.

Hawyood showed me what real racing was. When we hit the straightaway by the golf course clubhouse, I was literally unable to move due to the G forces. When I asked him how fast we were going, I heard him say, “around 191.” I don’t know if that’s possible but that’s what I think I heard.

As we zoomed past pit row the first time, the chili started churning in my stomach. By our third pass, I knew I was in trouble. We stopped after the third lap and I immediately leapt out of the car, jumped the retaining wall and ran to the woods to ... celebrate ... the experience.

Awesome machine, awesome ride

That brings us to the Zamboni. My Zamboni hosts, Simonetta and Junis, were a piece of cake compared to Hurley and the King.

My wife, reminding me of my advanced age, told me I had finally found something more to my speed. My West Virginia sister-in-law Barbara, who I love dearly, said her first reaction to hearing Zamboni was wondering what kind of pasta it was. I will not tell her the Zamboni is too fast for her.

The Zamboni is an awesome machine. It weighs 15,000 pounds, and you feel like you’re sitting on top of the world. If the Ghost Pirates wanted to raise a few extra bucks for a charitable cause, they might have a hot laps night.

I’d pay $20 to drive a lap.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Speed lover drives Savannah Ghost Pirates Zamboni at Enmarket Arena