Sometimes it’s best for someone in my line of work to have no opinion about something, and that’s the case for me regarding this news from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff:
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.
Continued; we all know by now that in 2021, Sobotka was fired by the team after being seen relieving himself in a Zamboni drainage ditch, and we all know that Sobotka claims that he suffers from a condition which makes him forcibly have to pee, for lack of a better term, facilitating the incident that was witnessed.
Etc., etc.
Some folks have rallied around Sobotka over the past three years, holding fundraisers with the Red Wings’ beloved Zamboni driver and facilities manager cooking his famous barbecue; for others, Sobotka has become “persona non grata,” or someone who should not be associated with.
I don’t know where you stand on this issue, because some fans have memed Sobotka into the ground, and others have cheered for the underdog.
I’m just glad that this is going to court, and that there will be a legal decision as to whether Sobotka was fired with cause or fired due to discriminatory issues. He deserves that much, and so does the team.
