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Hockey team gives reporters the Marshawn Lynch treatment in bizarre press conference

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 5 2026, 4:22 pm
Hockey team gives reporters the Marshawn Lynch treatment in bizarre press conference
Sportsnet

The Barrie Colts were channelling their inner Marshawn Lynch following a massive victory on Monday night.

The Colts were able to punch their ticket to the OHL Championship Series on Monday following a Game 7 win over the Brantford Bulldogs. It was a remarkable effort given that they had trailed the series by a 3-1 deficit.

Rather than being celebrated for their triumphant comeback, however, the Colts are being heavily criticized for what took place during a postgame scrum. Both head coach Dylan Smoskowitz and team captain Kashawn Aitcheson, who scored the winning goal, chose to answer every question with the same answer.

“Words probably escape you after that one coach, try your best,” a reporter asked Smoskowitz. His response?

“No one cares. Work harder.”

That was the same response both Smoskowitz and Aitcheson gave to all six questions they faced. It was a very strange reaction to have after such a big win, and has drawn plenty of criticism from both fans and those in the hockey media world.

“This is pretty ridiculous, whatever the context may be,” TSN reporter Ryan Rishaug wrote on X.

Jeff Marek, who hosts The SheetĀ for Daily Faceoff, also didn’t appear to be a fan of the antics, saying on Monday night that he felt for the reporters simply trying to do their job. On Tuesday, however, he gave an explanation as to what transpired.

“The Barrie Colts press conference was a reaction from coach Dylan Smoskowitz and captain Kashawn Aitcheson because they were not allowed to bring more players out with them,” Marek wrote. “The team was told there wasn’t enough space, so they decided to only answer with the Colts season motto.”

Though the Colts may have been frustrated over not being able to have more members of the team speak, the vast majority of fans still feel it was disrespectful.

“What a bizzare and stupid look for the coach,” one fan chimed in. “It’s juniors. The press is people who want to be there, and care and give their time to be there. Kid was probably directed to do that.”

Most are giving Aitcheson, who is just 19, a pass on this incident. Instead, most of the frustration is being heaped on Dylan Smoskowitz, 33, who was named the team’s head coach last offseason.

“No one cares, work harder” is a slogan the Colts have been going with all season long. That said, they may wind up caring about this, given how viral the video has gone in such a short time.

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