Plaza Galleria's old Zamboni soon headed for Vail, Colo.

~ The machine will take a detour to the Zamboni company in Canada for refurbishing.

When Chad Deimund was the Zamboni operator for The Ice at Plaza Galleria he often dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player, but never thought he would one day purchase the ice resurfacing machine.

Today Deimund works for Davis Partnership Architects in Edwards, Colo. The architectural firm is designing a residential and commercial resort in Vail, Colo., that will include a movie theater, bowling alley and an outdoor ice-skating rink.

The rink won't be big enough to hold a full-sized Zamboni, which typically weighs more than 8,500 pounds when filled with water, so Deimund made a deal with the co-owner of the plaza, Betty Talbert, to buy the smaller machine he used to operate at The Ice.

Deimund's father, Rodger, pulled the 3,500-pound Zamboni out of the old ice-skating rink at 2001 Independence St. with a John Deere 410 on Thursday, for eventual delivery to his son.

Attached by a chain to Rodger Deimund's tractor, the Zamboni came through the two doors smoothly, with about an inch of space on each side. Rodger Deimund pulled the propane-powered piece of equipment to the garage of his wife's beauty shop on Broadway to try to get it running again.

"I have worked on this before," said Rodger Deimund. "I had it apart when Chad used to drive it years ago."

After Rodger Deimund does the initial work on the Zamboni, he will haul it on a trailer to the Zamboni company in Canada to be refurbished.

"They haven't made this sized Zamboni in decades," said Chad Deimund. "It's not easy tracking one down."

Talbert purchased the Zamboni in 1984 from the Crown Center Terrace in Kansas City, Mo.

Growing up in Cape Girardeau, Chad Deimund played hockey for the Wildcats at The Ice at Plaza Galleria. He'd been skating at the rink since he was about 12 and eventually was employed there.

"Chad's probably wishing he could be here now," said his mother, Linda, while her husband carefully guided the Zamboni out of the building. "Many fond memories for him at this rink."

Deimund played hockey for about six years at the ice-skating rink. It closed in 2003.

"It was a good thing while it lasted," Talbert said. "The Zamboni served its purpose here very well."

Talbert did not disclose the price of the sale.

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

(573) 335-6611, extension 137