Last lap for longtime PMC Zamboni driver
Gary (Booter) Parnell took one final emotional lap on the Memorial Centre’s ice re-surfacing machine at Saturday’s Peterborough Petes’ finale.
Parnell, who turns 61 next month, will retire after more than 35 years working at the Memorial Centre on March 25. He grew up on Prince Street a stone’s throw from the arena where he began working parttime at 16. He also worked at General Electric and Raybestos before returning to the Memorial Centre in 1985. He lived for 15 years in its shadows on McGill Street where he and his wife of nearly 33 years, Shelley, raised their now adult daughters Samantha and Meagan.
As a child, Parnell, who would not reveal the origin of his nickname he’s had since childhood, hung out at the PMC with friends like Paul Johnston. His first job there was selling pop in the stands.
“It was tough going up and down the stairs when you were young carrying that rack of pop,” he said.
Parnell has many memories but two things will always stick out. The first is the relationships he’s developed. Former manager Gary Watkins convinced him to return and remains a good friend. Dave Watkins was his first boss and a mentor. Pete Bujold taught him to make and maintain the ice which was his main responsibility for 12 years. Brian Butler and Paul Wannamaker are his longest-serving coworkers and friends.
“We’ve been through a lot and seen a lot,” he said.
He has fond memories of athletes and staff from the Petes, Lakers and Peterborough Figure Skating Club.
The other highlight was hosting the 1996 Memorial Cup.
“Hosting the Memorial Cup was a big thing,” he said. “It’s like hosting the Mann Cup. We’ve done several of those.
It’s a big feat to be a part of that.”
The Memorial Cup was also one of his toughest challenges. The 90-degree Fahrenheit temperatures turned the arena into a sweatbox. It led to the infamous fog that marred the championship game. It caused frequent stoppages to have players skate circles to dissipate the fog.
“We had no air conditioning at the time and we were trying to keep the building cool,” said Parnell. “I had a thermometer at ice level and we had the building at 60 degrees. As soon as we opened the doors to let people in it went to 90 degrees and we were done. There was nothing we could do.”
Parnell has seen many changes.
“Years ago, we never had a lift truck for conversions,” he said. “Everything was done by hand. You picked the plywood up, put it on a skid, took it down, unpacked it and came back for another load. Nowadays, we run two lift trucks. Back in the day we had wire mesh rather than glass. I vaguely remember that.”
The biggest changes came with the 2003 renovation. The addition of air conditioning “was a godsend,” he said. It also made the area requiring maintenance much bigger but without increased staff to manage it.
“It was tough trying to keep up,” he said.
Wear and tear on his body made him decide it was time to retire.
“So many people wait too long to leave. I want to enjoy my family and cherish the time I have left,” he said.