Page 10 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 13

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Ice-Making Is Family Tradition For Bruyere Family

By Morley Seaver

s a youngster, David Bruyere
Arecalls going to the Bob Turner
Centre to watch his father drive the
zamboni. Often he would be invited
to come aboard for a ride. “I felt like
I was the coolest kid in the rink,” he
says. When he was old enough, he
got enlisted to help remove the snow
from the machine at the end of a

flood.
“Back then, it was an old-style
zamboni,” he says. “The newer types,
after you get off the ice, the bucket
dumps. The ones that that he drove a
long ago, they didn’t dump. You had
to climb in the bucket and melt the
snow out with a hose into a drain. So
when I went to visit him, that was my
job. I’d hose it down until there was
nothing left and then away we’d go

for the next flood.”
Mike Bruyere started working as
an icemaker in 1974 at all the city
arenas but his main area of operation
was at the Bob Turner. He says that
there’s a lot more to the job than just
driving the machine around the rink.
“There’s a big difference between Anyone can learn to drive a zamboni, but it takes a special person to become an ice maker. The Bruyere
being a driver and an ice-maker,” he family can claim two of them. Submitted photo.
says. “I can teach someone to drive For someone who takes such pride than meets the eye. He learned how were so many cracks and holes in
the zamboni within one or two shifts in his skills, it was rewarding for to deal with a lot of the challenges by that building. So there were lots of
and they’ll be a very good driver. But Mike who’s now retired, when David working at the Si Miller arena. tricks to keep everything going. And
being an icemaker is a whole different decided to follow in his footsteps “There were always lots of challenges the fl oor underneath was not the most
ball game. I’d say to new people, and become an icemaker. “It was a there,” he remembers. “Mostly with level so we had to be careful like
‘don’t be too hard on yourself. It proud moment,” he says. “Actually I the weather. We’d be trying to keep shaving more in certain spots and less
could take you months, even a couple trained him to do the ice at the Bob ice at certain temperatures because if in other spots. So going from there
of years before you can actually call Turner. He got some training over it got too cold in there it would affect to the Benson Centre is a nice treat.
yourself an ice-maker.’ If you can at the Civic Complex because that’s the ice. It would be too choppy and It’s a beautiful place to work and the
drive a car, you can drive a zamboni. where he was kind of stationed at we’d have to turn the heaters on to ice is really good. Going from one of
“But to be an ice-maker means the beginning. He would come in soften it a little bit. And vice versa, the oldest arenas in Canada to one of
being able to read the conditions of when he wasn’t working and I would if it were too hot outside, even during the nicest in Ontario at least, is pretty
the ice and the people that are using teach him to be an ice-maker.” David the winter, if the sun was out all day nice.”
it. There’s a big difference between is actually the fourth generation of heating on the roof, it would affect When asked if David can see his

doing a flood where the people that the family to work for the city. His the ice at night. And it could get too kids carrying on the family tradition,
were just on the ice were 8 and 10 great-grandfather Amos Wilsher was hot and water wouldn’t freeze on the he says he doesn’t know but they
year-olds compared to adults. So a supervisor in the water department ice. If it reached a certain temperature have been exposed to it. “I’ve taken
you have to provide the same kind and his grandfather was Earl Landry, it would be too soft and you’d have a them for rides. They’ve helped dump
of ice to both groups. Then you former police chief. poor quality of ice. the snow. Mind you, their job is a lot
have the temperature considerations David who works mostly out of the “We used to call it an outdoor rink easier than my job was back then,” he
and outdoor conditions. That’s all Benson Centre agrees with his father with a roof on it. If it was raining laughs. “Now you just push a lever.”
factored in.” that there’s much more to the job outside, it was raining inside. There