Teddy bear toss

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2005 Calgary Hitmen teddy bear toss

A Teddy bear toss is a popular Christmas season promotion at many minor and junior hockey arenas throughout North America. Fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears to the game, and to throw them onto the ice when the home team scores its first goal. The toys are then gathered up to be donated as Christmas presents to hospitals and charities. In many cases, the players themselves personally donate some of the bears to children at area hospitals. The tradition is said to have started in Kitchener, Ontario at Kitchener Rangers games.^{[citation needed]}

The tradition is perhaps the most popular in the Western Hockey League cities of Calgary, Alberta and Portland, Oregon.

Spokane Arena, home of the Spokane Chiefs.

The 7,485 fans and supporters of the Portland Winter Hawks were the first to break the WHL and CHL Teddy Bear Toss record in the 2006-07 season with an on-ice donation of 14,361 stuffed animals Saturday, November 25, 2006. The teddy bears rained down from the stands when Kyle Bailey broke a scoreless tie exactly one minute into the overtime period. This record was eventually broken by the fans of the Calgary Hitmen less than a month later. On December 10, when Ryan White scored a short-handed goal 14 minutes into the first period of their game against the Prince George Cougars. 15,540 teddy bears were thrown onto the ice by the 16,380 fans in attendance.^[1]

In 2007, television personality Stephen Colbert won a bet with the mayor of Oshawa, Ontario after claiming that a teddy bear toss during an Oshawa Generals game was held just to taunt Colbert about his fear of bears. As a result of the bet, March 20, 2007 was declared as Stephen Colbert day in the city.

On November 24, 2007, the Portland Winterhawks briefly reclaimed the record with 20,372 stuffed animals coming from the 6,343 fans at the Memorial Coliseum on the 10th Annual Teddy Bear Toss Night. However, fans had failed to realise that the goal that initiated the toss had been disallowed. ^[2] The record quickly fell again, as six nights later, fans of the Lethbridge Hurricanes set a new mark of 22,736 bears.^[3] The Hitmen once again reclaimed their record on December 2, as 26,919 bears hit the ice when Ian Duval scored against the Cougars.^[4]