Rob Gray-Imagn Images
It’s hard not to be somewhat fascinated by the Zambonis that are rolled out to resurface the ice at NHL games. Those unique vehicles are more or less identical aside from variations in decals and branding, but that’s no longer the case after the Mammoth put the rest of the league on notice by unleashing the “Zammoth” on an unsuspecting world.
Hockey takes a toll on the ice it’s played on, and that wear and tear can influence the game by slowing down the puck and has the potential to cause issues for players who find themselves crashing down onto the ice after skating across a particularly rough patch.
There was once a time when hockey rinks deployed teams of workers who were tasked with using hoses and squeegees to resurface the ice by hand, a fairly labor-intensive process that could take over an hour to complete.
However, that was no longer the case after a game-changing innovation was dreamed up by Frank Zamboni, the man who lends his name to the massive machines that quickly became the industry standard when it came to resurfacing ice.
Those vehicles have evolved a bit since Zamboni purchased some surplus parts from World War II to construct the “Model A,” which made its grand debut at the ice rink he owned in California in 1949. Now, the NHL’s newest team may have ushered in a new era by raising the bar for everyone else.
The Utah Mammoth rolled out an over-the-top Zamboni that can trace its roots back to one that was used during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002
A top-of-the-line Zamboni can set you back upwards of $200,000 (and even more if you opt for certain extras). The exact models in NHL arenas vary from team to team, but they’re usually not going to spare any expense on the crucial vehicles that are rolled out to smooth out the ice in between periods.
Most of those franchises opt for a custom wrap emblazoned with their logo and frequently give sponsors the opportunity to pay to slap theirs on it as well. The Sharks have gotten creative by throwing a fin on top of the boxy exterior, but they’re one of the only teams that have really gone out of their way to try to spice things up.
Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
However, the bar has been raised courtesy of the Utah Mammoth, who are now the undisputed Zamboni kings of the NHL after unveiling the “Zammoth” toward the end of their second season in Salt Lake City.
INTRODUCING, THE ZAMMOTH!!! 🤩
📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH pic.twitter.com/b4fKKlXPde
— NHL (@NHL) April 8, 2026
According to ESPN, the franchise discovered the Delta Center was home to the Zamboni that was used when Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002, and they reached out to the Utah-based company at the center of the Discovery Channel show Diesel Brothers to execute a rebuild.
2002 → 2026
Built from the Zamboni used in the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, our Zammoth is a reimagined piece of Utah history. pic.twitter.com/0CSm3QgRlV
— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) April 7, 2026
The end result was the “Zammoth,” a 17-foot-tall machine with glowing eyes and massive tusks that made its first appearance during Utah’s 6-5 win in overtime against the Oilers on Tuesday.
The Zammoth can accommodate up to eight spectators who will seemingly get the opportunity to hitch a ride at games going forward, and I can only hope this ends up sparking a Zamboni arms race while giving other teams incentive to flex their creative muscles.