Fans flood ice with teddy bears at Calgary Hitmen game (VIDEOS)

Calgary Hitmen fans came armed and ready to the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday.

A crowd of 17,346 showed up for the 2019 Teddy Bear Toss, flooding the ice with stuffed animals after the Hitmen’s first goal of the game.

Carson Focht wasted no time to become the teddy bear hero, tipping a Jackson van de Leest shot 1:34 into the first period to give Calgary an early 1-0 lead.

That triggered a waterfall of 25,025 stuffed toys pouring onto the ice – just shy of last year’s franchise record of 29,635.

“For 25 seasons our fans have backed this incredible charitable cause and we would once again like to thank them for their tremendous support,” said Hitmen Assistant Manager of Business Operations Rob Kerr. “This game has become a holiday tradition and the bears collected today will have a significant impact in our local community.”

Over 70 local agencies, including the Salvation Army, Calgary Food Bank, and Siksika Nation will share thousands of teddy bears this holiday season.

Since being first introduced in 1995, this annual charitable event has provided the community with 402,608 stuffed toys.

It’s always an amazing sight:

 

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