Generals Say Sorry for Hygiene Request to Fans

The Oshawa Generals have said they’re sorry after suggesting fans shower before coming to the team’s home games this week.

This issue first gained attention on social media on Tuesday when season ticket holders received an email reminding them about hygiene.

“If you went to the gym or did something that produced body odour, please shower before attending the game,” reads the email sent out by Jason Hickman, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team’s director of ticket sales and service.

has reached out to Hickman and the Oshawa Generals media spokesperson for comment.

In that same email, Hickman urged fans to use hand-sanitizing stations around the arena, cover coughs and sneezes, and “be mindful of personal cleanliness while sharing our space with fellow fans.”

“These small actions make a big difference in keeping our community healthy and our events running smoothly,” he wrote.

The team posted an apology statement on X, Instagram and Facebook on Thursday after sending fans an email asking them to shower before games. (Oshawa Generals/X)

The team shared an apology on social media Thursday saying, “it’s not our place to overstep like we did. We are sorry and hopefully we can wash this one off.”

Hickman told Durham Region. com Thursday that he often hears complaints from fans “about the [person] next to them smelling like cat pee, bad breath, this, that and everything else.”

He mentioned these complaints have increased over the last month.

‘Not a great look’ for Oshawa, fan says

A local fan remarked that the Generals’ email plays into negative stereotypes about their city known as “the Dirty ‘Shwa.”

Ashley has been going to Generals games since she was young. is not using her full name because she works in an industry tied to the OHL and is worried about speaking publicly.

Even though she’s not a season ticket holder, she found the email amusing but wasn’t offended personally. However, she felt it attracted extra attention due to Oshawa’s nickname.

“It just played into that … confirming that everyone in Oshawa is dirty and we have to be told to shower before we go to the game,” she said.

“It’s not a great look on Oshawa, but for me personally, I just laughed about that.”

Ashley noted she hasn’t noticed any unpleasant smells at previous games. She called it a blunder by the team, saying they should’ve dealt with odor issues more directly by talking with people in person.

[They should have] handled it in a more personal and human way than in such a wide way that is going to offend so many different people and all the season ticket holders that you rely on to keep the team going,” she said.


</brKyle Bichener, right, attends a few Generals games each year with his family. During a New Year’s Day matchup, he said a strong odour from a fan behind him made it difficult to focus on the game. (Submitted by Kyle Bichener)
Kyle Bichener also doesn’t hold season tickets but takes his family out for several games throughout the year.
During one match on New Year’s Day he recalled telling his wife about an intense smell coming from someone behind him. He explained it was so strong he didn’t even want to turn his head.
“It was all I could think about,” Bichener said. “It was kind of ruining my attention and focus on the game along with what I spent taking my family out.”
He added he didn’t report it staff-wise since there could be various reasons for someone having an odor including health conditions.
While Bichener mentioned he hasn’t faced this issue at other games he understands how regular season ticket holders might encounter it frequently.
He thinks the Generals’ message wasn’t meant as a personal attack against Oshawa or its fans.
“They were ultimately addressing hygiene issues and keeping people healthy and safe within arena,” he said.

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