GLACE BAY, N.S. -- For more than three years, a pair of icemakers in Glace Bay have been fighting to get their jobs back, but now the controversy is over, and the pair are back on the ice.

After more than three years on the bench, it didn't take long for news to spread in the community of Glace Bay that the Zamboni drivers at the former Bayplex are now back on the ice at the newly renovated and named Miners Forum.

"I missed it a lot, because I've done it for so long," said Wayne Perry. "It's just a part of my life. It's nice to be back around the kids, and the people, and to see this beautiful building."

In July of 2018 the Bayplex closed its doors because of structural issues and mould that was found inside, leaving Perry and Frank Wadden out of a job.

The union the men belonged to was dissolved when the municipality took over the facility.

The pair have decades of experience making and maintaining ice and say they were promised their jobs back once the doors reopened, but that didn't happen as quickly as they hoped.

Wadden and Perry said they had successor rights and the right to have their old jobs back, and most in the community agreed.

"Most people come up and say 'holy god, glad to see you're going back, and best of luck to you, and can't wait to see you there,'" said Perry. "So, it's been good."

Manager Keith MacPherson says he's looking to move forward, and put the controversy behind them.

"We'd like to welcome Wayne and Frank back to their old positions," MacPherson said. "At the end of the day, when you look at our operations, we're going to have more experience than any rink in probably Canada. We probably have about 140 years of experience between the three operators."

The Miners Forum reopened in September of last year. Thursday marks the first day on the job for both Perry and Wadden. It's been a long-time coming, but both are just happy to be back doing what they love.

"I'm just not ready to give it up yet," Perry said. "I think there's a few good years left in me. I just want to finish out on my own terms."

So for now, the final buzzer has not yet sounded on their careers. Instead, there's a fresh sheet of ice waiting to be resurfaced.