When Calgary Hitmen’s Cody Sylvester scored the first goal against the Red Deer Rebels in a game in December of 2010 he described it as “ … unbelievable … a pretty special moment.” Sylvester wasn’t talking about the goal, he was talking about the 23,096 teddy bears thrown onto the ice as soon as the puck was in the net.
It was the 16th Annual Petro Canada Teddy Bear Toss, when fans bring teddy bears along to the hockey match and wait for the first goal to be scored. Then they start throwing. Of all colors and sizes, the bears hit the ice, cascading down from the higher seats. Some get on the rink with one throw but many need a helping hand and the scene is of teddy bears bouncing their way down, finally making it onto the ice with a toss over the barrier from rows near the front.
Not just bears either, soft toys of any description are welcome. A number of videos of these events have been recorded and can be found on You Tube.
Record Teddy Bear Toss
The Calgary Hitmen hold the teddy bear toss record - 26,919 bears in 2007. They came after the first goal was scored by Ian Duval against the Prince George Cougars. Fans often bring more than one bear and at the 2010 game there were just 16,844 people. It took 40 minutes to clear the ice of bears and get the game underway again, which might be why the teddy bear toss is restricted to minor league and junior hockey.
Wherever a teddy bear toss is held there may be bears for sale at the stadium, but it’s worth checking first. And there's more to this bear madness that simply fun: the bears are quickly distributed to various hospitals, often with the players going to hand them out to children spending Christmas in a hospital bed. The Hitmen also have a special jersey for the Teddy Bear Toss game, and these are then auctioned to raise money for charity.
Where Can You Toss a Teddy Bear?
Many of the minor league teams hold the event, usually in early to mid December. The Calgary Hitmen are holding their 2011 Teddy Beat Toss during the game against Medicine Hat on December 4th, 2011. The Portland Winterhawks are another team with good Teddy Bear stats and they will be encouraging fans to throw soft toys at the match against Seattle on December 3rd.
Check your local ice hockey team to see when they hold their annual bear-raining event, and if they don’t have one, perhaps you could suggest it to them.
Sources
Sylvester scores Teddy Bear goal as Hitmen blank Rebels 2-0 By Laurence Heinen
Sally Anne Lewis - Sally has master's degrees in science and journalism, is fascinated to a degree in most things. Always something to learn.
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