Sask. man having 'absolutely amazing' time driving Zamboni at Winter Olympics

He may not have been competing in the Winter Olympics, but a Saskatchewan man had one of the most important jobs: ice making. 

Hanson Skotheim, from the Grayson, Sask. area, maintained ice and drove a Zamboni at the 2018 Winter Olympics. His duties included keeping the ice smooth and at the right temperature, as well as resurfacing and repairing damaged ice.

Skotheim said it is a high pressure job, especially since ice surface can affect an athletes performance. 

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"These are the best athletes in the world that come to the Olympics of course, right, so the demand and expectations for us is to provide the best ice in the world for them," said Skotheim from Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

Despite the high stakes, Skotheim and his co-workers are having fun in South Korea. 

"We have three Zambonis. We named them Soju, Pork Belly and Kloud," he said with a laugh. 

Skotheim says the names all pertain to South Korea. Soju is the name of a rice-based spirit from South Korea, pork belly is traditional dish in Korean barbecue and Kloud is the name of a Korean beer. 

"I like Pork Belly. It's a good machine," said Skotheim. "It's been absolutely amazing being at the Olympics, just the whole environment, the electricity that you feel. The whole world is here right now just partaking in the games and you can feel it in the air. It's fantastic."

Not his first time on big stage

Skotheim currently works at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alta. on the ice crew for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. He also has a side job making ice surfaces for speed skating and curling tournaments.

Although he works on some of the biggest stages for ice making, Skotheim says he started from humble beginnings.

"I was working on Calgary and needed a winter job and got into a community rink and eventually worked my way up and found my way into the Olympic Oval in Calgary," said Skotheim.