Teddy bears rain down from the stands at Rogers Place
EDMONTON -
Graydon Gotaas scored his first goal with the Edmonton Oil Kings Saturday night, triggering a flood of teddy bears on the ice at Rogers Place.
The Oil Kings’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game was against the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Warriors were up 2-0 when Edmonton got on the board in the first period.
For the Teddy Bear Toss night, fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears in clear plastic bags to throw onto the ice when the Oil Kings score their first goal of the night.
“It's incredible, great view of the fans here - definitely a lot bigger than I’ve played in front of before - so it's super exciting to get my first as an Oil King in front of everyone here today,” said Gotaas, a defenceman for the Oil Kings.
The bears are then collected by 630 CHED Santas Anonymous and distributed to families in need during the holidays. A total of 12,409 toys were collected Saturday.
Stuffed toys collected at the annual Edmonton Oil Kings Teddy Bear Toss. Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021 (CTV News Edmonton)
“We didn’t get one last year, but every year it’s something special, from the jerseys to the fans, the whole day itself, it’s just awesome,” said Cater Souch, an Oil Kings forward who has been at four teddy bear tosses.
Over the past 15 years, the team has also raised $150,000 for 630 CHED Santas Anonymous.
The Oil Kings beat the Warriors 7-4.
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