Drunk Zamboni driver…
Zamboni stories always amuse me…
A New Jersey man is on the rocks, his career on ice, after he was busted for being drunk while driving an ice-cleaning machine.
John Peragallo, 63, was given a summons Sunday afternoon near the skating rink at the Mennen Sports Arena (search) in Morristown, N.J., reported the Newark Star-Ledger.
Another employee had called police around noon to say that Peragallo, behind the wheel of the four-ton machine, was speeding, sliding into turns and nearly hitting the boards at the edges of the rink — all with a big smile on his face as nervous skaters watched from the sidelines.
By the time the cops got there, the machine — known to hockey fans as a Zamboni (search) — was parked, but Peragallo, a senior operating engineer who’s been with the Morris County Parks Commission (search) for 11 years, was still at the scene.
The police report, as quoted by the New York Daily News, said that Peragallo had bloodshot eyes and the “odor of alcoholic beverage” on his breath.
When asked to take a Breathalyzer test, he allegedly replied, “Let’s go, so I can prove I’m OK.”
Sadly for him, he checked out with a 0.12 blood-alcohol level, well above the 0.08 legal limit in New Jersey.
Peragallo’s car keys were taken away and he was told to appear in court in July to face a charge of drunken driving. Apparently a Zamboni is considered a motor vehicle, no different from a car.
Peragallo could lose his driver’s license — for both cars and Zambonis — if he’s convicted.
from Fox News
Note: The above photo is NOT of the drunk Zamboni driver. It is of my son’s teammates pushing a Zamboni off the ice after it died while resurfacing.
I am a Northern Michgian alum and always enjoyed watching the Wildcats play and often beat the Gophers. But that was back in the early 90’s when they won the NCAA Championship in triple overtime up there in the Cities. Looks as though NMU will have a good team again this year.