Calgary threw way more bears than Edmonton at weekend teddy tosses
It’s that time of year again in the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Teams across Western Canada are hosting their annual Teddy Bear Toss games to help gather donations for local charities ahead of Christmas. That includes both the Calgary Hitmen and the Edmonton Oil Kings, who held their tosses over the last few days.
With the history of the two cities being bitter rivals on and off the ice, it seemed only appropriate to pit the two fan bases against each other in a friendly competition to see which one threw more bears onto the ice.
The Oil Kings went first as they held their toss on Friday night against the Everett Silvertips. The fans got their chance to chuck stuffed bears onto the ice when Oil Kings forward Landon Hansen scored to tie things up with just over seven minutes to go in the first period.
The result was an unforgettable scene as a total of 14,729 teddy bears made their way onto the ice at Rogers Place.
One of the coolest things in hockey. Teddy Bear Toss. @EdmOilKings #WHL pic.twitter.com/GGDZ7zULf3
— Derek Van Diest (@DerekVanDiest) December 2, 2023
That is a tough number to beat, but one that the Hitmen were hoping to come close to when they hosted their teddy bear toss on Sunday night against the Prince Albert Raiders.
This time it was London Hoilett who, for the second time in his WHL career, scored the goal that prompted a barrage of teddy bears to be catapulted over the glass and onto the Saddledome ice.
Calgary fans showed up for the toss as they hurled an incredible 21,233 bears onto the ice to beat their provincial rivals by over 6,000 bears.
Put it on loop.
For the second straight year, London Hoilett made the fur fly at the 'Dome! 🧸🧸🧸 pic.twitter.com/hupJ0IDcXt
— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) December 4, 2023
In total, the teams were able to gather an astounding 35,962 teddy bears over the two games. The Oil Kings plan on donating their bears to Santa Anonymous, while Hitmen players made a furry delivery to the Alberta Children’s Hospital on Monday.
Made it to Alberta Children’s Hospital for bear delivery! 🧸🧸🧸 pic.twitter.com/Eg7qCHjnYy
— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) December 4, 2023
Though the two cities may have one of the fiercest hockey rivalries ever, this should be one competition that brings a smile to everyone’s face.
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