Al Sobotka
Encyclopedia
Al Sobotka is the building operations manager for Olympia Entertainment
. His responsibilities include day-to-day operations at both Joe Louis Arena
and Cobo Arena. Sobotka is known mostly for driving the Zamboni
during Detroit Red Wings
games for the past 30 years and for collecting the octopuses thrown on the ice during Red Wings playoff games. The official mascot of the Red Wings
is named after Sobotka. Sobotka came in second with 97,261 votes in Zamboni News' 1999 Zamboni "Driver of the Year" Award.
When Brendan Shanahan
played for the Red Wings he had some nice words for Sobotka:
When asked about going out and driving the Zamboni in front of 20,066 Joe Louis Arena fans, Sobotka responded by saying:
Detroit fans often arrive before games time to watch Sobotka prepare the ice for a game. Also, kids can compete to drive around with Sobotka between periods. They learn that driving a Zamboni is no simple task, and that ice preparation is both science and an art that can take years to perfect.
Sobotka started driving the Zamboni early in life, and when asked about his "dream job", he had this to say:
) during a game. Sobotka will grab the octopus
with his bare hands and swing it around his head. He typically receives an appreciative cheer from the crowd for this response.
In the April 2006 edition of Sports Illustrated
Michael Farber wrote:
Sobotka said in 1996 that an unofficial record of 54 octopuses were thrown during one game of the 1995 Stanley Cup final series between Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils
. He also stated that Detroit fans throw an average of 25 octopuses per playoff game. For his tireless efforts, the Red Wings named their octopus mascot "Al"
after Sobotka.
According to NHL rules, if any fan throws an object on the ice in celebration, the supported team could be issued a delay of game
penalty. However, the NHL tends to look the other way when Sobotka does his stuff. Frank Brown, the league's vice president for media relations, said in response:
In the 2008 playoffs, the NHL issued a warning that while they were fine with Octopuses being thrown on the ice, the Red Wings would be fined $10,000 if Sobotka twirled the Octopus in the air, as bits of the Octopus were getting in the ice and on the opposing goaltender. However, it was announced on May 7, 2008, that the NHL would allow Sobotka to twirl the octopuses, provided that he does so only at the Zamboni gate and not on the ice surface.
Olympia Entertainment
Olympia Entertainment is a sports and entertainment company headquartered in the Fox Theatre in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. Olympia is a division of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch...
. His responsibilities include day-to-day operations at both Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...
and Cobo Arena. Sobotka is known mostly for driving the Zamboni
Ice resurfacer
An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
during Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
games for the past 30 years and for collecting the octopuses thrown on the ice during Red Wings playoff games. The official mascot of the Red Wings
Al the Octopus
Al the Octopus is the mascot of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. During some games , octopuses are thrown onto the ice by fans for good luck, this usually occurring after the national anthem is sung or after a goal is scored.This Legend of the Octopus tradition, started on April...
is named after Sobotka. Sobotka came in second with 97,261 votes in Zamboni News' 1999 Zamboni "Driver of the Year" Award.
Sobotka's role as Zamboni driver
Sobotka has been driving the Zamboni between periods at Joe Louis Arena for over 30 years. He is known for taking pride in his work, and he ensures that the arena's ice surface is of the highest quality:When Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Frederick "Shanny" Shanahan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently serves as the National Hockey League's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and head disciplinarian. Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry...
played for the Red Wings he had some nice words for Sobotka:
When asked about going out and driving the Zamboni in front of 20,066 Joe Louis Arena fans, Sobotka responded by saying:
Detroit fans often arrive before games time to watch Sobotka prepare the ice for a game. Also, kids can compete to drive around with Sobotka between periods. They learn that driving a Zamboni is no simple task, and that ice preparation is both science and an art that can take years to perfect.
Sobotka started driving the Zamboni early in life, and when asked about his "dream job", he had this to say:
Dealing with octopodes
Sobotka is also famous for being the employee responsible for handling any octopuses thrown on the ice (see Legend of the OctopusLegend of the Octopus
The Legend of the Octopus is a sports tradition during Detroit Red Wings home playoff games where octopuses are thrown onto the ice surface. The origins of the activity go back to the 1952 playoffs, when a National Hockey League team played two best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup...
) during a game. Sobotka will grab the octopus
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
with his bare hands and swing it around his head. He typically receives an appreciative cheer from the crowd for this response.
In the April 2006 edition of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
Michael Farber wrote:
"The first face-offs [of the Stanley Cup tournament] were in Ottawa and Detroit at 7:12 p.m., although the unofficial commencement occurred two minutes earlier when an octopus landed on the ice with a splat during 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at the Wings' Joe Louis Arena. Nothing screams 'playoffs' like a cephalopod. (The Red Wings' tradition began in 1952 when two fishmongers realized that the number of tentacles on an octopus matched the number of wins then necessary to win the Stanley Cup.) Octopus-tossing is officially proscribed, but arena superintendent Al Sobotka tacitly encourages it by twirling octopuses over his head as he chugs off the ice after cleaning them up. In this year's playoff innovation, some Oilers fans threw hunks of prime Alberta beef onto the ice in response."
Sobotka said in 1996 that an unofficial record of 54 octopuses were thrown during one game of the 1995 Stanley Cup final series between Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. He also stated that Detroit fans throw an average of 25 octopuses per playoff game. For his tireless efforts, the Red Wings named their octopus mascot "Al"
Al the Octopus
Al the Octopus is the mascot of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. During some games , octopuses are thrown onto the ice by fans for good luck, this usually occurring after the national anthem is sung or after a goal is scored.This Legend of the Octopus tradition, started on April...
after Sobotka.
According to NHL rules, if any fan throws an object on the ice in celebration, the supported team could be issued a delay of game
Delay of game
Delay of game is an action in a sports game in which a player or team deliberately stalls the game, usually with the intention of using the delay to its advantage. In some sports, the delay of game is considered an infraction if it is longer than that permitted according to the game's rules, in...
penalty. However, the NHL tends to look the other way when Sobotka does his stuff. Frank Brown, the league's vice president for media relations, said in response:
"Every so often, an octopus slips out of someone's hands, and Al is right there to take care of the matter. And he cannot be blamed if, as it tries to break free from Al's grasp, the octopus lifts Al's arm and twirls itself in the air."
In the 2008 playoffs, the NHL issued a warning that while they were fine with Octopuses being thrown on the ice, the Red Wings would be fined $10,000 if Sobotka twirled the Octopus in the air, as bits of the Octopus were getting in the ice and on the opposing goaltender. However, it was announced on May 7, 2008, that the NHL would allow Sobotka to twirl the octopuses, provided that he does so only at the Zamboni gate and not on the ice surface.