The Indy Fuel hockey team announced its annual Teddy Bear Toss. The game will be this Saturday and the team hopes to get at least 5000 stuffed animals.
Hockey is known as a rough and tough sport. Even so, the Teddy Bear Toss events show a softer, caring side to it, as well.
The Teddy Bear Toss event originated around 22 years ago in North America. Ever since then more and more teams are joining the event during the winter schedule.
This Saturday the Indy Fuel will play against Quad City. Fans can bring as many stuffed animals they want. When the Indy Fuel score their first goal of the game, fans will throw all of their stuffed animals onto the ice.
Players and volunteers will then collect the stuffies. The toys will go to the local Toys for Tots charity which will distribute them to kids in need in time for Christmas, Nuvo reports.
“As a team when you’re hosting it you want to score early. It will get the fans quite a bit more involved throughout the game,” says head coach Bernie John. “The longer you wait the longer they kind of sit on their hands and knees wondering if it’s even going to happen.”
Last year the fans donated a total of 4273 stuffed animals for the Teddy Bear Toss. The team now hopes to get at least 5000 this year.
