Teddy Bear Toss back at the Saddledome
Posted Dec 1, 2013 12:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Demand for teddy bears is high in Calgary as the Hitmen host the Medicine Hat Tigers Sunday in the annual Teddy Bear Toss.
Over 50 local charities have requested some 28,000 bears to meet demand this holiday season.
Fans are asked to bring a stuffed toy to the game and toss it on the ice when the Hitmen score their first goal.
Forward Pavel Padakin scored the big goal last season and says that story went global.
“My friends from Russia buying the newspapers and saying oh my god, we can see you,” he said. “It’s you with the bears, what are you doing there, playing hockey or just playing with them?”
During the previous 18 teddy bear toss games, a grand total of 213,000 bears have been collected and distributed to charity.
This year because of the June flood, the demand for bears has never been greater.
Hitmen General Manager and Vice-President of Business Mike Moore said the generosity of their fans makes this a great holiday tradition.
“We get people that bring two, four, six, eight, sometimes 10 bears, we reach out to those agencies prior to the game, because we have to turn things around by Monday and try and get an understanding of what their demand is,” Moore said.
Hitmen Associate Coach Brent Kisio said it’s not just a regular hockey game.
“The real root of it, it’s just a great cause, puts the smiles on kids faces,” Kisio said. “If it puts a smile on their face for five or 10 minutes, we’ve done our job and it’s a great event.”
The bears will be handed over to the charities on Monday including a personal visit to the Alberta Children’s Hospital by the players themselves.
Tickets are $10 dollars with game time at 4:00 p.m.
