A fresh sheet of ice arrived with a surprise Sunday at Cedar Rock Sportsplex in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During the rink’s first Detroit Red Wings Little Wings Learn to Play session, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association Industry Growth Fund presented the nonprofit facility with a new Zamboni.
About 40 to 50 children were on the ice when the resurfacer made its entrance. The presentation followed the debut of the Learn to Play program, run with the Red Wings and Rams Hockey Association to introduce newcomers to the game.
Quick facts
- Cedar Rock Sportsplex received a new Zamboni through the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund.
- The surprise came during the first Red Wings Little Wings Learn to Play event at the Grand Rapids rink.
- The replacement takes over for an unreliable machine powered by a 1989 Volkswagen 1.8-liter engine.
- Breakdowns with the old unit had cost the facility several nights of programming each year.
- The rink serves hockey, skating, curling, soccer, lacrosse, walking groups and dog-show events.
Aaron Ala, president of Rams Hockey, said the kids were called to center ice before NHL representatives brought out the new machine. “It was awesome,” Ala said of the reveal.
For Cedar Rock, the donation is more than a new piece of rink equipment. Board member Travis Mikulenas said the outgoing Zamboni had become an operational concern as mechanical problems became more frequent.
He could not pin down the machine’s exact age, but knew its engine dated to 1989. It had failed during resurfacings, sometimes would not start, and once lost a wheel on the ice.
“We’ve put a lot of maintenance into this thing,” Mikulenas said. “It runs OK, but we lose several nights of activity a year due to Zamboni failure.”
The new unit removes a major threat to the rink’s day-to-day schedule. If the ice operation stalls, Mikulenas said, the impact reaches well beyond hockey, affecting figure skating and curling as well as the building’s other users.
“If the ice side goes down, that hurts the soccer and the walking clubs and the dog show guys, lacrosse and all these other things,” he said. The replacement should help Cedar Rock keep programs available at an affordable cost while continuing to serve the surrounding community.
Cedar Rock is a multi-use nonprofit facility in Michigan’s second-largest city, also home to the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit’s American Hockey League affiliate. The rink has become a local entry point for young players and families looking to get into the sport.
The Industry Growth Fund supports league and club projects intended to expand hockey participation, particularly among youth, and strengthen the community infrastructure that keeps players on the ice.
Rob Knesaurek, the NHL’s senior vice president of youth development and industry growth, said the fund is designed to create lasting routes into the game rather than one-day events. He called Cedar Rock an important community gathering spot and said the donation would help it serve players and families for years ahead.
Chris Campoli, an NHLPA divisional player representative and former NHL defenseman, said the rink reflects the kind of community facility where youngsters first develop a connection with hockey. The donation, made with the Red Wings, is intended to keep that Western Michigan pipeline open.
