Former Detroit Red Wings Zamboni driver and arena manager Al Sobotka will be getting his day in court. The Michigan Supreme Court has denied a bid by Olympia Entertainment Inc. to have Sobotka’s wrongful dismissal suit thrown out of court.

“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.

The court’s ruling means that the case will be returned to the Wayne County, Michigan Circuit Court for a jury trial.

In April 2022, Sobotka filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court after being fired by the Red Wings. He alleges that his termination violated the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, specifically claiming discrimination based on age and disability.

Red Wings Fired Sobokta in 2022

In February that year, the Red Wings decided to terminate Sobotka, who’d worked for the team since 1971.

His lawsuit claimed that Sobotka, 67 at the time of his dismissal, is suffering from benign prostatic hypertrophy. This ailment causes him to suffer from a frequent and uncontrollable need to urinate.

The statement of claim goes on to further explain that on Feb. 2, 2021, after driving his Zamboni from the ice surface, Sobotka was overcome with the sudden need to urinate. The nearest washroom facility was some 60-70 feet away. Thus, Sobotka ended up deciding to urinate into a drainage sewer.

After the snow is removed from the ice by the Zamboni, the snow is unloaded into these drainage ditches. According to the statement of claim, this area is off limits to the public, except for the all-male crew that works on the Little Caesars Arena ice.

According to the lawsuit, a fellow Red Wings employee witnessed Sobotka urinating. That employee filed a complaint with the human resources department.

Initially, the Red Wings decided to issue Sobotka a one-week suspension over this matter. However, Sobotka was ultimately given termination papers on Feb. 17, 2022.

None of the claims in the lawsuit have been proven in court.

Sobotka Popular Cultural Icon

Sobotka was best known to Red Wings fans for his enthusiastic removal of any octopus from the ice surface during games.

It wasn’t officially game night until Sobotka scooped up the first octopus off the ice surface. Giving it a victorious 360-degree swing over his head, Sobotka was also whipping a capacity crowd into a frenzy.

During the playoffs, the team would hoist a massive purple octopus into the arena rafters. Players on the team lovingly gave the giant cephalopod the nickname Al.