NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund and Detroit Red Wings donate Zamboni to Cedar Rock Sportsplex in Grand Rapids

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

A new Zamboni has been donated to Cedar Rock Sportsplex in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund in collaboration with the Detroit Red Wings, adding a major piece of infrastructure to the community-oriented rink’s ongoing hockey development efforts. The donation was presented on Sunday, coinciding with the debut of a Learn to Play program partnership with the Red Wings and the facility designed to introduce new players to the fundamentals of hockey in a welcoming environment.

The Learn to Play activity at the rink included participation with Red Wings’ Little Wings Learn to Play, presented by the Rams Hockey Association. The NHL’s and NHLPA’s funding supported the Zamboni donation that brought a new resurfacing machine onto the ice, according to the organizations involved and rink representatives who spoke at the event.

Aaron Ala, president of Rams hockey at Cedar Rock Sportsplex, described the impact of the day’s programming, saying that roughly 40 to 50 kids were on the ice and that attendees were brought into the middle as the new Zamboni was delivered and operated for the occasion. Ala characterized the moment as “awesome,” connecting the equipment donation to the broader participation experience at the rink.

Travis Mikulenas, a Cedar Rock board member, said the new machine replaces an aging Zamboni whose unreliability was affecting the rink’s day-to-day operations and its ability to run activity consistently. He said the donation “eliminates the level risk” associated with continuing operations and supporting the programming the facility provides.

Mikulenas indicated that while he was not sure of the exact age of the previous Zamboni, it used a 1989 Volkswagen 1.8-liter engine and had become prone to breaking down during resurfacing or failing to start at all. He said that service issues had at times included a mechanical failure on the ice and that engine problems contributed to lost rink time, noting that the facility loses “several nights of activity a year” due to Zamboni failure.

The NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund was created to support and accelerate NHL and club business initiatives and projects intended to promote long-term development and increase participation at all levels of hockey, with an emphasis on youth. In comments accompanying the announcement, NHL senior vice president for youth development and industry growth Rob Knesaurek framed the donation as part of the fund’s approach to working with clubs, communities and local partners to create pathways into hockey that extend beyond a single program day.

Knesaurek said Cedar Rock Sportsplex has become a gathering place for the community and that the organizations involved were “proud to support the rink’s ability to serve young players and families for years to come.” His remarks linked the equipment investment directly to the rink’s ability to maintain ice-quality operations needed for ongoing youth hockey and related activities.

Chris Campoli, NHLPA Divisional Player Rep. and a former NHL defenseman, tied the donation to the role that community rinks play in youth development and first-time participation in hockey. Campoli said Cedar Rock Sportsplex represents the type of rink where young players get a chance to “fall in love with the game of hockey,” and he connected the Industry Growth Fund partnership with the Detroit Red Wings to keeping the sportsplex “thriving” and serving the hockey community in Western Michigan.

The Zamboni donation was presented after the debut of the Learn to Play program at Cedar Rock Sportsplex, which the NHL describes as part of ongoing commitments by the NHL, NHLPA and Detroit Red Wings to reduce barriers to participation in hockey and strengthen local hockey infrastructure. The new equipment was described as a central enabling element for the facility’s continued ability to run skating and programming through dependable ice operations.

Mikulenas also said the Zamboni supports more than hockey, pointing to other uses of the ice and facilities at Cedar Rock, including figure skating and curling, as well as non-hockey programming. He said that if ice operations falter, it also affects other community activities using the ice space and the broader multi-venue schedule, emphasizing that the equipment helps the sportsplex continue operating and offering programs at an affordable cost.

Cedar Rock Sportsplex is described as a nonprofit, multi-venue facility in Michigan’s second-largest city and is home to the Red Wings’ American Hockey League affiliate. The Zamboni donation therefore strengthens not only introductory hockey programming but also the operational capacity of a facility that supports both youth participation and higher-level development within the Red Wings’ broader hockey ecosystem.

With the Zamboni now in place, the NHL/NHLPA Industry Growth Fund’s investment and the Red Wings’ partnership are positioned to improve ice reliability at Cedar Rock Sportsplex, helping sustain Learn to Play initiatives and the rink’s wider community schedule that depends on continuous ice availability.