Generals Say Sorry for Shower Reminder to Fans

The Oshawa Generals have issued an apology after suggesting fans shower before coming to the team’s home games this week.

This situation sparked a buzz on social media starting 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,” says the email sent out by Jason Hickman, who is the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team’s director of ticket sales and service.

has contacted Hickman and a spokesperson for the Oshawa Generals for further comments.

In the same email, Hickman also encouraged 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 added.

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 apologized on social media Thursday, stating that “it’s not our place to overstep like we did. We are sorry and hopefully we can wash this one off.”

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

He noted that these complaints have increased over the past month.

‘Not a great look’ for Oshawa, fan says

A fan commented that in a city sometimes called “the Dirty ‘Shwa,” the Generals’ email reinforces negative stereotypes.

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 wary about speaking publicly.

Although she’s not a season ticket holder herself, she found humor in the email and wasn’t offended personally. However, she noted it gained 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 stated she hasn’t noticed unpleasant odors at games previously. She called it a mistake by the team, suggesting they should’ve approached people directly instead of making such a broad request.

[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 explained.

Kyle 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 doesn’t hold season tickets either but takes his family out for several games each year.

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Durring one match on New Year’s Day, he recalled mentioning to his wife about an intense odor coming from someone sitting behind him. He said it was so overpowering that he didn’t even want to turn around.

“It was all I could think about,” Bichener shared. “It was kind of ruining my attention and focus on the game, as well as considering how much time and money I spent taking my family out.”

He mentioned he didn’t bring it up with staff because there could be many reasons for someone’s odor issue-like health problems.

While Bichener hasn’t seen this problem at other events before , he understands how regular attendees might face such situations often.

He believes  the Generals’ email wasn’t meant as an attack against Oshawa or its fans.

“They were ultimately addressing hygiene issues  and keeping people healthy  and safe within  the arena,” he concluded.

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