How the ‘Zammoth’ creators fulfilled a lifelong dream

Sparks described the experience of delivering the Zamboni to the Delta Center on Monday as “almost surreal.”

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“It was one of those moments in your life where you’re like, ‘I need to record this memory because this is not normal, and this is a really cool experience.’”

“I watched him check a box on his bucket list,” Kiley added. “Zamboni: check.”

The Diesel Brothers appreciated the freedom that the team allowed them to make the Zammoth their own way.

“The coolest part was they said, ‘Do what you guys think works,’” Sparks explained. “And they literally didn’t babysit us at all. They just said, ‘Do what you think is cool’ and gave us the thumbs-up and told us to keep on rolling with the idea.”

The result was larger than life — and some of its features have yet to be exhibited.

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For example, they built the trunk with the capability of rising and descending. When it gets to the top, it can spray cryogenic fluid to simulate a mammoth blowing water out of its trunk. That part hasn’t been approved for use on NHL ice yet, but the guys built it with the hope that it will be allowed.

It also has built-in T-shirt cannons, a light system and speakers that play mammoth sounds. And the fact that it was built from the bones of a Zamboni used at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City makes it even more unique.

And to answer the question, no — it does not flood the ice anymore.

The concept of a rideable Zamboni isn’t unique to the Mammoth. The Florida Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets have similar machines, which was the foundation of this idea. But the Mammoth wanted to do it bigger and better.

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“Sometimes, the best ideas are found from other people and then taking them and kind of putting them on steroids,” said Chris Barney, president of revenue and commercial strategy for Smith Entertainment Group. “You don’t always have to innovate your own idea. There’s great ideas out there that you can take and add your own flair to it, and I think this is one more example of that.”

Of course, a project like this involves countless speed bumps. There’s not exactly a blueprint to follow when turning a 3-ton vehicle into a prehistoric creature.

“Every time we welded a piece of metal, another piece of metal would bend or warp or kind of distort,” Sparks explained. “So, it was a lot of, like, handholding making sure that it came together the right way, because the Mammoth didn’t want to do this like, a cheap, easy way.

“We could have done fiberglass, (but) no. They said, ‘Do it the right way. Hand-craft it and build it so that it lasts forever,’ and that’s exactly what we did.”

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The Zammoth will spend the next few games on the plaza at the Delta Center, where fans will be able to see it up close. After that, it will parade fans around the ice before each game and during every intermission.

The team has not released information on how fans can sign up to ride the Zammoth, but those details will come shortly.