Barrie Colts coach takes blame for viral news conference, calls it ‘big oopsie’

Dylan Smoskowitz says co-captain Kashawn Aitcheson was just following his lead in repeating same four-word answer

Published May 05, 2026  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  3 minute read

Barrie Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz (left) and co-captain Kashawn Aitcheson are pictured during an OHL post-game press conference on Monday, May 4, 2026 at the TD Civic Centre in Brantford, Ont. Postmedia Network

Barrie Colts coach Dylan Smoskowitz offered a mea culpa for a viral post-game news conference, saying he “immediately” regretted his actions after winning the OHL’s Eastern Conference championship Monday night in Brantford.

Article content

The Richmond Hill native, who also played forward for the Colts, Mississauga Steelheads and Oshawa Generals in the 2010s, made waves online Tuesday after footage showed him and co-captain Kashawn Aitcheson repeating the same line — “no one cares, work harder” — to each question posed to them by reporters.

Article content

Article content

In a Tuesday appearance on TSN 1050’s Overdrive, Smoskowitz insisted that Aitcheson should be absolved of any blame because he “took my lead, that was something I instructed him to do,” after their team blanked the favoured Bulldogs 5-0 in Game 7 after trailing Brantford 3-1 in the series.

Article content

Article content

Coach says incident ‘won’t happen again’

As for why it happened, Smoskowitz said he was denied a request to have the entire team attend the news conference and “instead of being an adult about it, being mature about it and saying no problem … I kind of went the other way with it.

“It’s a decision I regretted immediately,” he told Bryan Hayes, who was joined by usual co-hosts Jeff O’Neill and Jamie McLennan. “It took away from a really, really good game and a really, really good series.

“That one’s on me, that’s a big oopsie and something that I’ll learn from and you better believe it won’t happen again.”

The viral incident led to widespread criticism from the media and former NHL players such as Ryan Whitney, who said on X that he hoped Smoskowitz had directed Aitcheson to follow his lead.

Unlike typical post-game scrums, conference championship news conferences are formal proceedings hosted by the league’s director of communications, so it was not surprising to hear that the OHL was reportedly less than impressed.

Article content

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Colts will reportedly be punished

In a report by the Waterloo Region Record’s Josh Brown, who covers the Kitchener Rangers, commissioner Bryan Crawford said the Colts will be punished for the incident.

“Not good,” Crawford said, via the Record. “We expect them to handle themselves in an appropriate manner and participate with the media with the standards that we expect in the league in the way they have done traditionally.”

The commissioner said he expects to see “better interactions” from the Colts and for them to represent “our league in the right way and their team and themselves as well.

“They did a disservice to themselves in the way they chose to handle the press conference,” Crawford told the Record.

Article content

Smoskowitz says he ‘disrespected’ reporters’ jobs

Smoskowitz seemed to agree, telling Overdrive he “totally disrespected” the work that reporters were trying to do on Monday night. 

“They pay their gas, they get there, they prepare questions for me and expect an answer and I did not give that to them,” he said. “I did not allow them to do their job, but more importantly I disrespected their job.” 

Barrie, which last won the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference champions in 2013, faces the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL final, which gets underway on Wednesday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.

The Rangers dispatched the Windsor Spitfires in five games to claim their first Wayne Gretzky Trophy since 2008.

— With files from Ian Shantz.

Read More

1. 

   OHL opts not to suspend Soo Greyhounds star for covering TV camera

2. 

   Maple Leafs win 2026 NHL draft lottery, will pick first overall

Article content