Quiz question for the Canadians here

[The AD]

I belong to an online trivia league and this question came up yesterday:

The most essential and enduring invention of American engineer Frank Zamboni is used by its operators primarily in what type of facility?

You can answer if you're an American, but I'm more interested in how Canadians would answer this. I'll tell you why later.

[Dee Hubbs]

I would respond "Ice Arena".
The reason for such response is that an "Ice resurfacing machine" can be used in a hockey arena, a figure skating arena, a long track speed skating arena, or even an outdoor ice skating facility.
The two major manufactures of Ice Resurfacing Machines are Olympia (Canadian) and Zamboni (USA). The NHL and Olympics both have contracts with Olympia and not Zamboni. Although Zamboni are the original, many feel the Olympia has more modern technologies.
Both Zamboni and Olympia have developed electric machines as early as 1990.

[98brg2d]

I would say "hockey rink" or "skating rink".

I can't say I've ever heard somebody say "ice arena" before.

[From_the_NEK]

I would say "hockey rink" or "skating rink".

I can't say I've ever heard somebody say "ice arena" before.

Coke, soda, or pop?

[Dee Hubbs]

I would say "hockey rink" or "skating rink".
I can't say I've ever heard somebody say "ice arena" before.

Are you Canadian? I am.

[98brg2d]

Are you Canadian? I am.

Yes, I'm Canadian. Born in Ontario and have lived in Alberta for most of my life.

[Dee Hubbs]

Coke, soda, or pop?

"Soda Pop" or "Cola"

[98brg2d]

Coke, soda, or pop?

Pop.

[98brg2d]

"Soda Pop" or "Cola"

I've never heard a Canadian call it "soda pop" or "cola" (as a blanket term). Are you sure you're Canadian? Do you live in Canada currently?

Edit: I love this kind of stuff, so interesting how we all speak in different regions.

[irul&ublo]

I’ll take eh? For 20 Alex

[From_the_NEK]

Here in N VT we go with Ice Arena or plain old "rink".

Where did "rink" come from anyhow?

[RootSkier]

I'm from MN, so like Canadian but smarter.

The answer is "hockey rink."

Dee Hubbs is wrong because he didn't respond to the call of the question, which specifically asks about "primarily in what type of facility?" Outdoor speed skating tracks are not the primary use of Zambonis.

Also:

[riser4]

Yes, I'm Canadian. Born in Ontario and have lived in Alberta for most of my life.

Sorry man.

[The AD]

Good discussion. This is what I was expecting, but I'll wait a while to say why I asked this in the first place.

[98brg2d]

Sorry man.

Thanks. Its been rough.

[Dee Hubbs]

I'm from MN, so like Canadian but smarter.

The answer is "hockey rink."

Dee Hubbs is wrong because he didn't respond to the call of the question, which specifically asks about "primarily in what type of facility?" Outdoor speed skating tracks are not the primary use of Zambonis.

Who said anything about Outdoor Speed Skating tracks? What is this 1980 Olympics? That shit needs to be indoors in a climate controlled building, humidity below 28%, air temp around 18*, -5* to -9* ice temp with 65* water coming out of the Olympia.
Long track arenas have the coldest and most dense ice.
Short track Speed skating ice is warmer, followed by Hockey, then figure skating with the warmest (aka softest ice).

In PyeongChang they built a combined training facility with both a figure skating ice surface and short track ice surface in the same arena. The coolant for both surfaces was run off of the same coolant plant, so they could not adjust the ice temp via the under ice coolant. In order to fix this problem (post construction) of creating two different ice temps, they had to build a thermal break wall between the two ice surfaces and heat the ambient room temp in half the arena on one side of the wall to adjust the ice temp.

Curling is a whole different thread with its pebbled ice.

[Viva]

Are Zambonis used for curling events?

[Dee Hubbs]

Are Zambonis used for curling events?

No, the ice is made by hand, then maintained/resurfaced by hand.
The ice is “pebbled”. They use a watering wand (kinda like in your garden) that sprays water into the air and those droplets land on the surface and freeze into pebbles in the ice surface.
The do have a machine that cuts the ice initially to make sure it’s laser flat, but after that it’s all hand work.

[The AD]

So the correct answer (as given) was "ICE/SKATING/HOCKEY RINK." This was an easy question and 98% got it right, but quite a few Canadians mentioned they were marked wrong for answering "arena." They said that an "arena" in Canada implies an "ice arena." That's not the case here in the U.S.

[GoldMember]

So the correct answer (as given) was "ICE/SKATING/HOCKEY RINK." This was an easy question and 98% got it right, but quite a few Canadians mentioned they were marked wrong for answering "arena." They said that an "arena" in Canada implies an "ice arena." That's not the case here in the U.S.

Interesting. Since 'arena' comes from the Romans as a location for gladiators, the Canadian contingent assumed too much, apparently.

[The AD]

I think the use of "facility" sort of clouds it a bit. The Zamboni/surfacer is used on the ice sheet or rink, but is that the facility? I have a feeling that wording led to many Canadians thinking "arena" fit that facility part.

[dtown]

Dee Hubbs...are you the zam driver for the Oshwa Generals?? Lot of random ice knowledge for a mag...I’ve played hockey my whole life and worked in rinks and learning things in this thread.

For the record, I use rink and arena interchangeably but don’t preface w/ hockey/ skating/ ice skating


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[98brg2d]

Yeah, I don't ever preface arena with "ice"; "hockey" sometimes when talking about going to watch a hockey game, or "riding" when talking about show jumping or something like that. I would've assumed most Canadians would consider the "ice" or "hockey" to be implicit, and don't say it.

[Timberridge]

Interesting. Since 'arena' comes from the Romans as a location for gladiators, the Canadian contingent assumed too much, apparently.

Thank goodness nobody called it a monolith.

This internet trivia crowd is some sort of crazy. Almost as crazy as when the birding people see a warbler.

[Dee Hubbs]

Dee Hubbs...are you the zam driver for the Oshwa Generals?? Lot of random ice knowledge for a mag...I’ve played hockey my whole life and worked in rinks and learning things in this thread.

For the record, I use rink and arena interchangeably but don’t preface w/ hockey/ skating/ ice skating


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I do contract work for the FIS and IOC (Olympics) as a Foreign Expert in Alpine or Freestyle , so when I go to Korea or China I commiserate with the other “Foreign Experts” like Ice Makers.