The Zamboni.
Invented by an American, but altogether Canadian.
For many who live in the Great White North, it is an icon. The Zamboni mesmerizes kids who grow up in Canada when those gates open wide and it rolls out onto the ice.
These young hopefuls, with NHL dreams in their eyes, wait patiently along the glass for the ten minutes it takes to clean the ice. All in hopes the driver will wave or honk his horn at them.
As those same players grow older, NHL dreams faded, the fascination with the Zamboni does not waver. Rather, it just transfers its energy to another detail.
No longer do these players stare in awe at the immense machine driving up and down the ice, but rather what that machine is doing to their playing surface.
The attraction is now with the clean sheet just waiting for them to dig their skates into.
So, no matter where a player is in his hockey career, the Zamboni always will play an important part in bringing the games emotion out in us.
The Zamboni may have been an American creation, but it is the adopted Canadian symbol of the rink.