This weekend the Zamboni driver for the Gwinnett Gladiators John Martin passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack.
During the NHL lockout season of 2004-05 I helped out with the Gladiator's ice crew and I got to know John a little bit. The Gladiators work hard to entertain the fans during the intermission breaks and frequently the entertainment would go long and leave the Zamboni driver with no margin of error in laying down a fresh sheet. John handled it with aplomb and always got the job down no matter what.
John was also a very decent person who treated others with respect and consideration. There many good people involved in the sport of hockey and John Martin was one of them. He will indeed by missed by the hockey community.
His funeral is today in Duluth at 3 pm at Bill Heard Funeral home (open to the public).
UPDATE: Gladiators statement of passing of Martin.
Loading comments...