Al Sobotka takes Red Wings Zamboni for a spin on streets of Detroit

An FYI for those of you who live elsewhere: Detroit is famous for many things. Aretha, Stevie Wonder, square pizza, the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise … and Al Sobotka. An employee of the Red Wings since 1971, Sobotka’s fame is multifaceted — he gathers up the octopi that the hockey team’s fans have thrown on the ice for 65 years, and is the world’ foremost octopus twirler; he’s the building manager of Little Caesars Arena and the longtime manager of the Joe Louis Arena it replaces; and the team’s mascot Al the Octopus is named after him.