Oshawa Generals Apologize For Asking Fans to Shower Before Games
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The Oshawa Generals are apologizing after an email sent to season ticket holders this week asked fans to shower before attending home games if they had been to the gym or done anything that might cause body odour.
The email, sent by the team’s director of ticket sales and service, Jason Hickman, encouraged fans to take what he described as small steps to help keep the arena environment comfortable and healthy. Along with the shower reminder, fans were asked to use hand sanitizing stations throughout the arena, cover coughs and sneezes, and “be mindful of personal cleanliness while sharing our space with fellow fans.” The message said these actions would help keep the community healthy and ensure events run smoothly.
Almost immediately, screenshots of the email began circulating on social media. In a city that has long carried the nickname “the Dirty ‘Shwa,” the optics were hard to ignore. Some fans laughed it off. Others questioned whether sending a mass email about body odour was the right approach.
On Thursday, the Generals posted an apology across social media platforms, saying they had “taken a penalty” and acknowledging it was not their place to overstep. The team added that they were sorry and hoped they could “wash this one off,” leaning into the hockey metaphor while attempting to cool the situation.
In an interview with DurhamRegion.com, Hickman said the email was prompted by an increase in complaints from fans about strong odours inside the arena over the past month. He described hearing grievances about people smelling like “cat pee,” bad breath, and other unpleasant scents. According to him, the complaints had become frequent enough that the organization felt it needed to address the issue broadly.
Reactions among fans have been mixed. One longtime attendee told CBC News she found the email funny but said it unintentionally reinforced negative stereotypes about Oshawa. She suggested the team could have handled specific odour complaints on a case by case basis instead of sending a message to all season ticket holders.
Another fan recalled attending a New Year’s Day game where a strong smell from someone seated behind him distracted him for much of the matchup. He said it affected his enjoyment of the game and the time and money spent on the outing, though he acknowledged there could be health related reasons for someone’s odour. He did not report the issue to staff at the time.
What began as a well intentioned hygiene reminder has now become a lesson in tone and public messaging. For some, the email was a reasonable attempt to improve the fan experience. For others, it was an unnecessary and embarrassing overreach that played into long standing jokes about the city.
Either way, it is not often that an Ontario Hockey League team finds itself in the middle of a debate about deodorant etiquette.
We cover this bizarre story and more in this week’s Keep Canada Weird episode.
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