"What I did is really not that bad," says the man who spent 50 seasons as the Detroit Red Wings' Zamboni driver and arena manager—and he's now arguing that point in a Wayne County courtroom. Al Sobotka was fired in early 2022 at age 68 after a rink employee spotted him peeing in a Zamboni room ice drain and reported it. Olympia Entertainment maintains it was "egregious misconduct"; Sobotka says his prostate problems—Michigan Live reports he reportedly has benign prostatic hypertrophy—prevented him from making it to the restroom.
So Sobotka sued, alleging the company behind the Red Wings used the incident as cover for age discrimination, reports the Detroit Free Press. He claims company brass wanted him out because he was "too old" and says they replaced him with a 37-year-old at the same $81,000 salary it took him decades to earn. Sobotka alleges the firing came just weeks after a company exec called him "old," and his lawyers call the move excessive, pointing out he could have been warned or temporarily suspended. The suit notes the all-male ice crew were the only people able to access the area, reports ClickonDetroit.
Olympia, for its part, insists age played no role. The company has repeatedly tried to get the lawsuit tossed, but Wayne County Circuit Judge Susan Hubbard, who is hearing the case, ruled the case should go to trial "given the severity of the discipline." The jury was seated on Tuesday.