TAMPA, Fla. — There are many ways to go to a Lightning home game: you could walk, ride your bike, take an Uber or drive your car.
But, if you really want to embrace the playoffs, then the best way to the arena may be by Zamboni — and good news, super fan Mark Farrell has one of those.
WATCH: Tampa Bay Ice Box delivers rides for fans and money to charities
It’s called the Tampa Bay Ice Box, and it’s been giving Lightning fans in downtown Tampa free rides to every home game for the past five years.
“It’s a fun ride, they love it, they are dancing on the thing, and they are having this great time on the way to the game, and that’s why we get repeat riders,” said Farrell.
Farrell says, growing up, like many kids, he always had a fascination with the Zamboni.
“Watch that thing go around and suck up the ice and lay down a new thing, couldn’t figure it out,” said Farrell.
So, when Mark had the opportunity to purchase his own Zamboni, a horn immediately went off in his head.
“You can look online, they are all over the world, Canada, Ukraine, everywhere else, but guess where I bought this one? Right here in Tampa,” said Farrell. “I paid $500 for a broken-down Zamboni, that didn’t run anymore because I didn’t need it to run anymore, because I took the body and mounted it on the back of a van, and off we went.”
Mark says it's more than just about having fun, it’s about giving back. Over the past five years, he’s used the Ice Box to collect donations, raising more than $90,000 for five different charities, including the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, where he dropped off a $5,000 check this week.
“Oh, it means so much, we are so incredibly grateful,” said Regan Blessinger with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. “In 2025, we saved over 10,000 lives, that’s 10,000 animals that came through that needed shots, food, medical, then got adopted into their forever homes.”
The Tampa Bay Ice Box even gave Humane Society staff and animals a ride around the block.
Mark says he couldn’t do it alone — he has a team of loyal volunteers making sure your ride to the arena is as smooth as the ice.
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