The retrofitted Zamboni turned 'Fanboni' will take Blazers fans out on the rink during every home game.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / City of Kamloops
October 04, 2019 - 2:04 PM
KAMLOOPS - The City of Kamloops and the Kamloops Blazers have partnered up to create a new and unique experience for local hockey fans.
The new Fanboni debuted during the Blazers' season opener with the Spokane Chiefs and brings up to eight fans out on the ice during home games. Fans are chosen to ride the Fanboni during the first intermission.
Don Moores, Kamloops Blazers president and chief operating officer, says the first few people who were chosen to ride the Fanboni were cancer survivors, and the following week students affected by the Parkcrest Elementary School fire were welcomed on board.
“We're ecstatic about it. We have so many people that want to ride in it and we are going to use it all year and we'll have special groups in it all the time," Moores says.
Moores says the Fanboni isn’t an operational Zamboni, and it was made purely for the enjoyment of hockey fans. He says every detail of the Fanboni has been thought out by city staff from the Civic Operations Department and the seating area itself mimics a tiny hockey rink, complete with boards.
“A lot of the guys that worked on it from the city are really proud of what they did," Moores says. "There's actually an ice rink inside… the floor is a rink, so it’s kind of cool.”
The Fanboni will operate during every home game and will be used for special events like Canada Day and the Santa Clause Parade.
“This marketing partnership with the City of Kamloops is just another example of a world-class fan experience here at Sandman Centre,” Moores says. "The feedback we have received from children and adults who rode in the Fanboni has been tremendously positive.”
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