Team Canada captain Porter Martone personally apologizes for 'really dumb decision' against Czechia
Porter Martone is Team Canada's captain, but after taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, he's apologized for the 'dumb decision' that he made.
Team Canada needed a major victory to start their 2026 World Juniors tournament, and on Boxing Day, they came away with a 7-5 victory over Czechia, the team that knocked them out of the tournament a year ago.
It didn't come easy however, as Canada had to fight hard to come back from several deficits, but in the end, captain Porter Martone sealed the game with an empty netter that got them off to a 1-0 start at the tournament.
Martone issues apology for his behaviour on the ice
However, that goal game with plenty of controversy, as Martone skated past Czechia's bench while taunting them with a playful tease to one of the Czechia players, resulting in a two-minute minor.
Now, for the second time on Saturday, Canada has offered an apology to Czechia, this time it came from Mortone himself as he labelled his decision 'really dumb'.
I need to apologize for the actions I took yesterday at the end of the game. That's unacceptable and that can't happen. As the captain of this team and the leader of this team, it just sets a bad resemblance for the rest of the guys. That's on me, and I can't do that. It's a learning experience. It's in the past now, but I take full responsibility of the actions I took yesterday. - Porter Martone
This is a major sign of maturity for Canada's captain, as he made a decision in the heat of the moment, but has since shown sincerity in apologizing to Czechia for his actions.
Ultimately, hockey is a game of emotion, and sometimes they can overcome players, especially at the U20 level, but with his apology, it's clear that Canada are trying to overcome that.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 27|457 ANSWERS Team Canada captain Porter Martone personally apologizes for 'really dumb decision' against Czechia Should Martone have apologized for his actions here? | ||
| Yes | 376 | 82.3 % |
| No | 81 | 17.7 % |
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