Photograph by Mark Gilliland
Jim Schmuke has held a front-row seat to Blues games for 20 years—though technically it’s a driver’s seat. As the Blues’ longtime Zamboni driver and an operations man before that, Schmuke has outlasted five changes in ownership, 13 coaches and a rollercoaster ride from Presidents’ Trophy to worst record in the NHL and everywhere in between. He’s worked more than 1,000 home games, missing only two since 1989, and can easily recall his most exciting Blues moment: the Monday Night Miracle. “It was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard it,” he recalls of the dramatic 1986 come-from-behind playoff victory. “The arena was shaking, that’s how loud the crowd was.”
Having grown up in South St. Louis and gone to Saturday home games as a kid, Schmuke first landed a spot with the Blues in 1979 as a part-time building maintenance man. He eventually began driving the Zamboni for morning practices before becoming the game-night driver in ’89, when his predecessor left. “I probably could have done it earlier, but I didn’t know about [the job’s complexities], with all the people and things that could go wrong,” he says. “But I’m glad I did it.”
• I wanted to be a fireman growing up. Ironic, right? My dad was a city firefighter, and they’d hire off-duty firemen to help clean the arena.
• It’s really an Olympia—that’s the actual brand name. Zamboni is the generic name. We always compare it to “Kleenex.”
• There’s a lot of stuff to worry about when you’re driving. There’s making sure the blade is in the right position, putting the right amount of water out depending on the conditions. I’ve done it long enough it’s second nature now.
• With two machines going during a game, it takes about seven passes each to clear the ice. In all, it takes about seven minutes.
• I usually don’t let the crowd affect me at all. The only things I usually hear or see are the little kids along the glass who like to see the Zamboni.
• Some of the players you can trust to ask about the ice conditions. Guys like Keith Tkachuk, Barret Jackman—they’re pretty honest guys.
• If it wasn’t “The Zamboni Song,” what song would I choose? “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar.
• We don’t have a speedometer, but I’d say it’s governed at around 15 miles per hour.
• You’ll sometimes read the paper or hear TV announcers say it’s the ice’s fault when the Blues lose. In all these years, it’s never been the ice winning a game.
• We get reports about the ice from the home team, the away team and the refs. In previous years, you’d almost always get a bad report from the losing team. My dad would always say, “Well, don’t both teams play on the same ice?”
• The Blues will probably win the Stanley Cup the year after I retire. Working here, you always think about what would happen, how the city would react. You’ve seen the Rams and Cardinals win it all. It’s been a long time coming for hockey fans who have been there since Day One.
