Former Red Wings Zamboni Driver Sues Team After Being Fired for Peeing into Drain

Al Sobotka, a longtime Zamboni driver for the Detroit Red Wings, has filed a civil lawsuit against the NHL franchise after being fired in February.

Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday that Sobotka is seeking "compensatory damages" on the basis of discrimination against his age (68) and disability (benign prostatic hypertrophy).

The lawsuit states Sobotka, who'd spent more than three decades with the team, was caught urinating in a sewer at Little Caesars Arena by a male colleague on Feb. 2. He states his medical condition causes the "uncontrollable urge to urinate," per St. James.

Sobotka said the nearest bathroom was 60 to 70 feet away after he finished resurfacing the ice and he needed to relieve himself immediately, according to the lawsuit. He added the area where he parked the vehicle is closed to the public and exclusively available to the ice crew, which only includes male workers.

He was initially suspended for one week before his employment was terminated. The lawsuit said the firing violates Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, per St. James.

The Red Wings, who suffered a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on the day in question, haven't publicly commented on the lawsuit.

Sobotka was a rare Zamboni driver who was well-known to the public because he'd be tasked with retrieving octopuses thrown onto the ice, a long-standing Detroit tradition that peaked in the 1990s. He'd often twirl the animal above his head to rile up the crowd.

The team's mascot, Al the Octopus, is also named after him.

Detroit, which has been eliminated from playoff contention, has just one home game left in the 2021-22 NHL season. It hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

The Red Wings last qualified for the postseason in 2016.