Former Detroit Red Wings team employee's court trial for wrongful firing takes unexpected turn
Photo credit: Detroit Hockey Now
The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled in former Detroit Red Wings arena manager and Zamboni driver Al Sobotka's favor; his case can proceed.
Al Sobotka was a former Detroit Red Wings employee who managed Little Caesar's Arena and drove the Zamboni.
But he's had to take his grievance to the courts in order to settle a wrongful dismissal case, which Olympia Entertainment, Inc. It is he company that owns and manages Little Caesar's Arena. Olympia Entertainment is a division of Illitch Holdings.
They tried to have Sobotka's case dismissed, but the Supreme Court sent the case back down to a lower-level court in Wayne County, a Circuit Court, where he'll have a chance to be heard.
«On order of the Court, the application for leave to appeal the February 14, 2025 judgment of the Court of Appeals is considered, and it is DENIED, because we are not persuaded that the question presented should be reviewed by this Court,» read the Michigan Supreme Court's ruling that was announced on Friday.
Firing & Lawsuit
After his employment was terminated, in April 2022, Sobotka filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court that the firing had violated the Michigan-Larsen Civil Rights Act, an act which protects individuals on the basis of age and disability.
A very troubling notion if the alleged charges against Olympia Entertainment turn out to be true.
Sobotka has worked with the Red Wings since 1971 and has had some health scares recently. At age 67, Sobotka claims in the lawsuit that he is suffering from a chronic illness: benign prostatic hypertrophy, which causes constant urination.
Delving deeper into the issue, on February 2, 2021, Sobotka would drive his Zamboni off the ice surface, and would be driven by the need to relieve himself with the nearest restroom being 60-70 feet away, leading him to the inevitable decision to urinate in a drainage sewer.
The area itself is off-limits to the public, and the employees who tend the area are all male.
A co-worker witnessed him urinate in the ditch, according to the lawsuit, and would take his complaint to HR. He'd be given a one-week suspension as a result and would be terminated on February 17, 2022.
This is sad for someone who was considered a cultural icon to Red Wings fans, as he whipped up fervor among the base while retrieving the octopus from the ice.
See below:
He earned so much love from the fans and players, the purple octopus hoisted to the top of the rafters in the arena would be nicknamed Al by players.
So ends the sordid tale of Sobotka, or is it?
While none of his claims have been proven in court yet, his case may proceed in Wayne County Circuit Court, where that may change.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 19 | 66 ANSWERS Former Detroit Red Wings team employee's court trial for wrongful firing takes unexpected turn Do you think former Zamboni driver Al Sobotka, once a Detroit Red Wings employee, will win his case against Olympia Entertainment, Inc.? | ||
| Yes | 41 | 62.1 % |
| No | 25 | 37.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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