Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1241493
34 // APRIL/MAY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM F OR MOST HOCKEY PEOPLE, being in the NHL is a pipe dream. The paths leading to that dream are few and far between, and they typically a r e n ' t a s s m o o t h a s a f r e s h l y resurfaced sheet of ice. Just ask Ali Murdock, an ice oper- ations technician for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the only woman to drive an ice resurfacer full time in the NHL. After moving to Florida when she was 6 years old, Murdock had long dreamt of working for her favorite team. She didn't know how or in what capacity, only that, outside of playing recreational hockey, she wanted to be a part of the team. But a job search wasn't on her mind when she showed up at Amalie Arena in 2015 for a Lightning fantasy camp for adult hockey players. While she didn't leave that day with a player contract in hand, she did earn a spot with the Lightning 's ice crew—the group tasked with scraping snow off the ice during TV timeouts of NHL games. Tom Miracle, the arena's ice operation m a n a g e r a t t h e t i m e , s e l e c t e d M u r d o c k for her skating ability and added her to the ice crew just before the playoffs. The NHL s e n d s o n e o f t h e i r r e g u l a r " i c e g u y s " t o teams during the playoffs, and the one sent to Florida's Gulf Coast thought Murdock had the right stuff to drive an ice resurfacer. The rest is history. "I don't think I was ever one to be like 'I just really want to drive a Zamboni.' I don't think that ever crossed my mind," Murdock admits. "Everyone says 'that's my dream job' and I mean, yeah, it's mine now, but I didn't know that before." The 27-year-old's path to being the NHL's only full-time female ice technician was far from ordinary. Unlike most other ice techs w h o h o n e t h e i r c r a f t a t l o c a l i c e r i n k s before moving to the big show, Murdock PHOTOS COURTESY OF Ali Murdock; Tampa Bay Lightning Ali Murdock Is Living Her Dream As NHL's Only Full-Time Female Ice Technician By Alyssa Hertel COOL AS ICE