EDMONTON – It happened at the 15:20 mark of the first period; the Edmonton Oil Kings scored their first goal of the game, sending thousands of stuffed teddy bears flying onto the ice.
The team held its seventh Teddy Bear Toss Friday night. All of the stuffed animals lobbed onto the ice during the game were donated to 630 CHED Santas Anonymous.
“This is the game of the year. It’s a North American phenomenon,” said Oil Kings Vice President of Family Brands, Darryl Porter.
In 2011, about 8,000 teddy bears were collected. Last year, 10,835 stuffed bears hit the ice.
“Our goal tonight is to help disadvantaged kids. There’s going to be a whole bunch of kids out there with a bit better Christmas because we stage this event and our fans support it so well,” Porter added.
WATCH: Raw video of teddy bears being tossed onto the ice Friday night
Fans came out in the thousands, despite bitterly cold temperatures in Edmonton Friday night. As they entered Rexall Place, fans young and old carried with them bears of all types and sizes, excited for the opportunity to toss them onto the ice.
“I think it’s just an awesome thing for these to go to kids that can’t afford to get toys,” said Brian Pedlar.
“This is a thrill for me. I bought tickets for all 12 members of my family to come, all my grandkids,” Linda Goertzen said. “I think it’s important for them to know about giving to others.”
Goertzen bought her tickets to Friday’s game against the Portland Winterhawks in August.
“We did it last year for the first time and it was exhilarating,” she explained. “Seeing the rain of teddy bears come over the edge is something I will never forget.”
Goertzen says the teddy bear toss has become an annual event for her family.
This year, the toss collected 10,128 bears. And with 10,058 fans in attendance, it’s the first time the event has collected more bears than there were fans in the stands.
Oil Kings players wore specially designed teddy bear jerseys Friday night, which were auctioned off. Along with the stuffed animals, $19,675 was donated to Santas Anonymous from the auction.
The Oil Kings went on to a 5-4 shootout win against the Winterhawks.