The NHL lockout has been in effect for more than two months now, and so, with no actual games to report on, we’re going to link to a different hockey video every day until a new CBA is reached. Today: What 21,453 stuffed animals look like.
There’s a long tradition in hockey of fans throwing things onto the ice: Red Wings fans heaving octopi over the glass during the playoffs, Panthers fans throwing fake rats after goals during the team’s 1996 run to the Finals, and fans of any team tossing hats onto the rink when a player scores three goals in a game. But the Calgary Hitmen’s annual Teddy Bear Toss is particularly awesome.
Here’s how it works: The team designates a game during the holiday season for the Teddy Bear Toss, and fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to the arena. Then, when the home team scores its first goal, fans throw them onto the ice, where they’re collected and donated to charity. The Hitmen aren’t the only team that has a promotion like this, but the numbers for the Calgary event are staggering. This year’s Toss was yesterday, and via Puck Daddy, the final count was 21,453 stuffed animals, which is actually down from the previous year’s tally of 25,003.
It sucks to be a hockey fan right now, but this event and the videos of it are delightful on pretty much every level. And so on Day 79 of the NHL lockout, here are two different views: one from up high, and one from ice level.