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NEED TO KNOW
- Earlier this month, the Oshawa Generals sent an email to season ticket holders encouraging them to take a pregame shower
- The message followed repeated complaints about unpleasant smells in the stands
- But what was meant to be a practical — if uncomfortable — solution quickly took on a life of its own
A junior hockey team had one simple request before welcoming fans to cheer them on: please shower first.
Earlier this month, DurhamRegion.com reported that Jason Hickman, director of ticket sales and service for the Oshawa Generals, sent an email to season ticket holders encouraging them to take a pregame shower “if you went to the gym or did something that produced body odor.”
The message reportedly followed repeated complaints about unpleasant smells in the stands.
“I got a lot of people complaining about the [person] next to them smelling like cat pee, bad breath, this, that and everything else,” Hickman told the outlet.
“[Fans] don’t want to approach their neighbor and it’s awkward for me to approach their neighbor and say, ‘Hey, you smell.’ Having a generic email like we did, all-encompassing to all season ticket-holders, and they just kind of hopefully look in the mirror and say, ‘You know what? I can do better.”
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But what was meant to be a practical — if uncomfortable — solution quickly took on a life of its own.
Shortly after the email was sent, screenshots began circulating on social media, where many users poked fun at the request. Some fans even leaned into the joke.
“Thought u get a kick out of this one,” one user wrote on X, sharing a photo of fans dressed in shower caps and bathrobes. “Oshawa Generals game after #bathgate fans were wearing shower caps, bath robes etc. Classic”
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As the online chatter grew, the team responded with a tongue-in-cheek apology of its own. In a post on X that has since reached more than 550,000 people, the Oshawa Generals wrote:
“We took a penalty on that one. It’s not our place to overstep like we did. We are sorry and hopeful we can wash this one off.”
However, in the comments, people continued to be divided on the request.
"Asking folks to shower before a game isn’t outrageous," one user commented.
"I don't think you were wrong. I know hockey rinks are called Barns, but it should never smell like one," someone else wrote.
Another replied, "What's the apology for? [It] was a perfectly valid request and statement."
Read the original article on People