Barrie Colts fined $15K for post-game ‘oopsie’

(L-R) Dylan Smoskowitz, Colts head coach, and Kashawn Aitcheson, Colts co-captain, in the postgame press conference after Game 7 of the OHL Eastern Conference Final in Brantford, Ont., on Mon., May 4, 2026. (Source: FloHockey/YouTube)

The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has issued the Barrie Colts a $15,000 fine for what it calls conduct detrimental to the public perception of the league.

“The disciplinary action is a result of post-game remarks made by Colts Head Coach Dylan Smoskowitz following Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Championship Series,” the league said in a statement shared on Wednesday.

“We totally agree with it,” Smoskowitz, told CTV News, reacting to the disciplinary action handed down the league.

“I have to be more responsible and mature,” he said, adding “that press conference is on me.”

“For me as a coach, I know my players are not going be perfect because if players were perfect, there would no business for hockey coaches,” he added.

“For me I wasn’t perfect, what I tell my players is to not make the same mistake twice and that’s something I’m excited to move on from. It’s a great learning experience for me, I’m going to be a better coach for it, a better person for it,” said Smoskowitz.

He added he would not make the ”same mistake twice.”

On Monday, the Colts defeated the Brantford Bulldogs and secured a spot in the OHL finals against the Kitchener Rangers.

The 5-0 win over the Bulldogs came in game seven of a series in which the Colts were initially down 3-1.

However it was after the game that Smoskowitz and defencemen Kashawn Aitcheson went viral, for responding to every question in the post-game press conference with the same answer.

“No one cares, work harder.”

During an appearance on TSN 1050 Overdrive on Tuesday afternoon, Smoskowitz apologized for his actions calling them regrettable and “a big oopsie.”

“The post-game comments in question were determined to be highly unprofessional and represented a disservice to the dedicated media members who provide coverage of the Ontario Hockey League,” the league said in its statement.

The Colts game against the Rangers on Wednesday will be their first OHL finals appearance since 2013.

We will update this article as more details become available.