DETROIT — A popular Zamboni driver for the Detroit Red Wings said he was dismissed for urinating in a drain.
Al Sobotka filed a discrimination lawsuit against Olympia Entertainment this week, two months after he was fired. Sobotka, 68, had worked 51 years for the Red Wings.
Besides piloting the Zamboni at Red Wings games, Sobotka is known for his flamboyant method of removing octopus thrown to the ice by fans, a Detroit tradition at Olympia Stadium, Joe Louis Arena and now Little Caesars Arena. Fans cheered as he twirled the creatures over his head.
While in a garage at the arena on Feb. 2, Sobotka couldn’t get to a restroom in time so he urinated in a drain that receives runoff from the Zamboni machines. A fellow employee saw him and reported it. On Feb. 17, he was told he was being fired because of his “bad judgment,” the lawsuit says.
“He thought no one was in the building,” attorney Deborah Gordon said. “He was given no warning, no second chance.”
She said Sobotka has a prostate condition that causes him to urinate frequently and his managers were aware of that.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Wayne County Circuit Court, claims Sobotka was discriminated against because of his age and disability.
The suit contends Sobotka “dedicated his life to his job,” adding: “He never missed a single game or took a vacation during the hockey season. In 51 years, he used a single sick day.”
Sobotka has requested a jury trial on his request for damages.
