Know why 12000+ teddy bears were thrown onto Ice Rink by fans during hockey game in US

Interesting scenes were witnessed during a Cleveland Monsters game in the US when fans were seen throwing thousands of stuffed animals onto the ice rink. The reason behind the unique gesture by the spectators has already got the sporting world to take notice of it. As reported by The Independent, the gesture by the fans to throw the stuffed animals onto the ice rink is a popular hockey tradition that takes place during Christmas. 

Known as the ‘teddy bear toss’, the tradition allows locals to donate gifts to children, with many of the teddy bears being delivered to hospitals or charities by players themselves. This year, the tradition took place during the match between  Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliate, Cleveland Monsters, and Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate, Laval Rockets on December 18. As revealed in a report by Cleveland19, the fans donated a record no. of teddy bears in 2022.

While the spectators had donated a total of 10,168 teddy bears last year, the tally rose to 12,476 this year, which is a new record. Meanwhile, Monsters shared a video of the tradition on their official Twitter handle with the caption, “the goal that made it rain,” with a teddy bear emoji. In the video, fans can be seen covering the ice hockey rink with thousands of stuffed animals, right after the Monsters scored their first goal of the match. 

Watch: Ice Hockey Rink floods with teddy bears during Cleveland Monsters game

The historical significance of the ‘Teddy bear toss’ ceremony

The stuffed animals will now be donated to local organizations which provide help and emotional support to children involved in tragic situations. Here’s a look at the history of the popular teddy bear toss tradition. As per reports, the concept first originated in 1993, with the Kamloops Blazers team.

The first teddy bear toss tradition was recorded on December 5, 1993, when fans threw over 2,400 bears onto the ice after Brad Lukowich’s goal. The tradition was quick to spread across the Canadian Hockey League and other ice hockey competitions. However, the National Hockey League still discourages throwing anything on the ice. Hershey Bears’ tally of collecting 52,341 stuffed animals on January 22, 2022, is a world record set by the team.