The Lethbridge Hurricanes visited the pediatric ward at Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH) on Thursday morning, giving away some of the 3,568 teddy bears that were tossed onto Enmax Centre ice at last Friday’s Teddy Bear Toss.
Oliver Okuliar scored the first goal of the game against the Medicine Hat Tigers, sending the sold-out crowd into a teddy bear-throwing frenzy.
Seven players made the visit to CRH, handing out furry friends to sick kids.
For Jenna Johnson’s five-year-old daughter Isla, a few minutes with three Hurricanes players made the day a little brighter during a tough time.
“They made her feel special.”
The Johnsons hope to be out of CRH in the next couple of days and home in time for the holidays. Isla’s sixth birthday is on Christmas Eve.
While they wait for the all-clear, the five-year-old was one of a number of children visited by hockey players, who said it was an eye-opening and rewarding experience.
“To play in that game and them come over the boards and then know that they’re going to go to great places and make kids happy… it’s pretty cool to see,” said Hurricanes defenseman Ty Prefontaine.
Prefontaine was one of the team’s three 20-year-old players at CRH on Thursday, including D-Jay Jerome — a Lethbridge native — who said giving back in his hometown made the day especially rewarding.
“It’s got to be hard, it’s hard at any age, so if we can come in and put even just a tiny little bit of happiness in their day… it’s pretty cool.”
The Hurricanes will donate the rest of the bears and toques donated on Teddy Bear Toss night to organizations around the city.
The team has a pair of games remaining before the holiday break, a home-and-home set against the Calgary Hitmen beginning Saturday night in Lethbridge.