TAMPA, Fla. — It takes 320 gallons of white paint, a 12-hour shift, and 18 members of the Bolts ice crew to get the rink ready for hockey season.
Patrick Jesso, manager of ice operations, said the start of the process feels special.
WATCH: Behind the scenes: How Benchmark International Arena's ice crew prepares for a new NHL season
"It's like Christmas Day for us," Jesso said.
Jesso and the Bolts ice crew are the ones fans see on game days keeping the ice clean. When the season ends, Benchmark International Arena goes quiet — at least for hockey. But after a few months away, the first sign of life is a brand new sheet of ice.
"Right now, we're actually just laying down some water, and then shortly after this we'll lay down our paint and then we'll seal that in with more water and then that's when the magic happens," Jesso said.
To get a closer look at how the magic happens, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Blake Phillips tagged along with Ali Murdock, the NHL's first full-time female Zamboni driver.
It's hours of driving in circles, making sure everything is painted correctly.
"My favorite part — I grew up as a rink rat. I spent all of my childhood in a rink and I just love it. So now I get to continue to do that and make a living off of it," Murdock said.
But the work doesn't stop there. Murdock drives the Zamboni during regular games too, spending some home games with very little sleep.
"I couldn't do it if I didn't love it. I wake up at 5 o'clock on a game day and I'm not in bed until 5:00 a.m. on a game day, get here by 7, and I'm not back in bed until after midnight probably the next day," Murdock said.
The long days, the sleepless nights, and the chill of the ice are all worth it to this crew — because come game day, nothing melts the hearts of hockey fans quite like their Bolts.
The first preseason home game is September 20, and the first regular season home game is October 3 at Benchmark International Arena.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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