Regina Pats' associate coach Ryan Smith acknowledged his disappointment with Canada captain Porter Martone for his actions in the World Junior Championship tournament opening game against Czechia.
"It was disappointing, I guess, from my side to see him because I have a bit of a relationship with him and I know what kind of person, values, and character he is," Smith said on the SportsCage.
"I think Dale Hunter summed it up. It didn't hurt us, it wasn't the best thing, but it didn't hurt us. I think you have to remember, it's a short-term event and winning is all that really matters. It's not how they come, whether it's 7-5 against Czechia or 2-1 against Latvia. I know that there's a lot of pressure on those guys after the last couple of World Juniors, but a lot of those players have won a number of gold medals for Hockey Canada."
At the end of Canada's first round-robin game, Martone scored an empty-net goal and tapped Czechia forward Adam Novotny on his backside while he was skating back to the bench. That move from Martone drew a two-minute unsportsmanlike penalty.
The drawn up defensive zone play works to perfection! Canada's captain Porter Martone finishes off the empty netter! #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/9ARsIhuS37
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 27, 2025
After Saturday's game, Martone took ownership for his actions.
"I need to apologize for the actions I took [Friday] at the end of the game. That's unacceptable, and that can't happen. As the captain of this team, the leader of this team, it sets a bad [example] for the rest of the guys. That's on me, and I can't do that," Martone said.
"It's a learning experience, it's in the past now, but I take full responsibility for the actions."
Smith's relationship with Martone goes back to when he coached him in U17 and U18 for Hockey Canada as the Red and White won the World Championship in 2024, with Martone serving as captain. Other medals Martone has won are silver in the U17 Hockey World Challenge, gold in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023 and bronze in 2023 at the U18 World Championship.
Initially, Martone played for the Sarnia Sting, who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 OHL Draft. He was later traded to the Mississauga Steelheads, where he stayed through the 2024-2025 season. The Philadelphia Flyers selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Instead of returning to the OHL, Martone chose to play in the NCAA for Michigan State University. The six-foot-three, 208-pound right winger has played 16 games for the Spartans, scoring 11 goals and registering nine assists.
The last two World Junior tournaments Canada finished in fifth place. The Red and white lost both times to Czechia in the quarterfinals: 3-2 in 2024, and 4-3 in 2025.
Canada has started the 2026 tournament 3-0 after beating Denmark 9-1 on Monday night. Martone has contributed three goals and one assist in three round-robin games.
The Red and White play Finland on Wednesday, December 31 with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.
