Ken Grabeldinger, 1950s Clinton Comets, Still a Rink Rat in Alabama

Here's an update on Ken Grabeldinger who played center with Clinton Comets, New Haven Blades and Johnstown Jets in the mid 1950s.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/zamboni_driver_ken_grabeldinge.html

Zamboni driver Ken Grabeldinger has cool job on hot days at Pelham ice rink

Published: Thursday, August 04, 2011, 9:30 AM

By Kent Faulk -- The Birmingham (AL) News The Birmingham News

PELHAM, Alabama -- Whether it's winter or blazing hot outside, Ken Grabeldinger has one of the coolest jobs around.

The 78-year-old Shelby County man and former professional hockey player drives a Zamboni -- an ice rink resurface machine -- as part of his job as assistant supervisor of the Pelham Civic Complex's two skating rinks.
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"What a great place to work," Grabeldinger said with a smile Wednesday.

On an average day Grabeldinger will resurface rink ice four or five times using a Zamboni. The complex has two Zambonis, one for each rink. On a busy day it may take a dozen times.

Grabeldinger has been driving ice resurfacing machines nearly 50 years and has been around ice rinks longer than that.

A native of Saskatoon, a city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, Grabeldinger started playing hockey when he was 5 or 6 years old.

Grabeldinger said that in 1964 he took a job managing the Clinton Arena rink in Clinton, N.Y., where he had spent part of his time with one of the farm teams. He left that job in 1985.
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A former hockey player, he says he worked on the 4th Zamboni in the USA which was built on a Jeep frame.

... Read Full Article: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/08/zamboni_driver_ken_grabeldinge.html
Photo Gallery: http://photos.al.com/4461/gallery/zamboni_driver_has_cool_job_on_hot_days/index.html
Stats at hockeydb.com: http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=12973 (though, I'd be a little skeptical about the 24 pts and 6 PIM in 5 games in 1957-58.)