The son of Zoltan ‘Toots’ Kovacs - who played and coached in the Ontario Hockey League with the Soo Greyhounds - Kovacs played defence for the Soo Thunderbirds, at the U.S. college hockey level for four years and with a league in Hungary for six years before returning to the Sault.
Ozone is a gas that can be used as a powerful disinfectant that kills bacteria in the interior of sports gear, not just the exterior surface.Kovacs said the technology has been around for approximately 15 years but has been used more recently in the world of sports. An ozone cleaning machine had been available in Sault Ste. Marie at Savings World on Trunk Road but was not widely used.“This is something I had been looking at for quite some time,” he said.
Kovacs estimated that there are approximately 3,000 hockey players in the Sault across the various age levels and leagues who could avail themselves of ozone cleaning of their gear. Zoli’s Kleaners can clean hockey and ringette gear, football pads, athletic shoes and cleats, work boots, sledding and motocross helmets, tents and sleeping bags and more.Business at Zoli’s Kleaners has been steady, Kovacs said, adding that so far news of his business has been through Facebook, Instagram and word of mouth.