Hershey Bears fans let the stuffed animals fly in world-record fashion.
Hershey, the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, hosted its annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game on Saturday night.
The well-equipped fans entered the Giant Center with full garbage bags containing the plush animals and eagerly waited. The highly anticipated promotion is when fans throw and donate stuffed animals onto the ice following Hershey’s first goal.
Bears forward Axel Jonsson-Fjällby opened the scoring — and the flood gates — in the first period. Thousands of stuffed animals sailed over the glass and blanketed the ice to commemorate the spectacle.
“Sweet, cuddly mayhem,” Bears broadcast announcer Zack Fisch said. “It’s Teddy Bear Toss time!”
The team announced 52,341 studded animals were collected, setting a new world record. Hershey smashed its own previous record of 45,650 toys, which was set in 2019. The “Teddy Bear Toss” games were not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There wasn’t a limit placed on the number of stuffed animals fans could bring to the game. Each animal collected is donated across 25 organizations and charities in the Hershey community.
Hershey players enjoyed the over 30-minute game delay to celebrate in the mountains of animals on the ice. Forward Shane Gersich dove headfirst into the pile and disappeared into the mass collection.
The “Teddy Bear Toss” was a prelude to Hershey’s celebrations. Jonsson-Fjällby netted a hat-trick and the Bears defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 5-0.