Calgary Hitman Annual Teddy Bear Toss – A Success
Total Pro Sports - It's nice to see that even with our bad times and the economy going in a downhill spiral, the Calgary Hitman Fans were able to generate 22,722 stuff toys for local charities and children in need for Christmas.
In the annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss and the 14th year in existence, the Calgary Hitman fans were asked to come to the game with a minimum of 1 stuffed teddy bear. After the first goal scored by the Hitman's Brandon Kozun, a flurry of stuffed teddy bears were tossed onto the ice for arena attendants to pick up and bring to local charities.
"It is amazing how this hockey event has grown," said Dave Wilson, Retail Market Manager Petro-Canada. "From the first game 14 years ago when there were 1,500 bears to tonight's game when there were 22,722 bears collected. Petro-Canada is proud to be a part of this holiday tradition helping make Christmas a special time for many children regardless of their economic status."
The Calgary Hitman set a franchise record for the annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss crowd with 18,105 fans.
All the stuffed teddy Bears collected are being divided between 50 local charities including Calgary Interfaith Food Bank, Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie, Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter and The Salvation Army. The Hitmen players will also visit the Alberta Children's Hospital and deliver the stuffed teddy bears indvidually to patients.
The Calgary Hitman are a class act and deserve a pat on the back for hosting an event like this. More teams especially Professional teams should take note and do something similar for local charities. Something so small has gone a long way with the local charities in Calgary.
Not everyone in this world has been blessed with what others have. So this Christmas, take a couple minutes out of your day and donate to the local Red Cross or local Christmas Drives. Especially with our bad economic times, the people in need will cherish this the most.
2008 Calgary Hitman Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss
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Wow, the video looked like it was snowing in the arena. Very classy. Thanks for the article.
Great results. The trend has now spread across Canada and most CHL teams are participating in similar events. The Hitmen playing in an size NHL arena have the advantage of being able to draw 20,000 plus for the event.
Contact your local Junior Team and take part.
IT is an unreal experience. I have played in a couple of these games over my career. I remember my first game with one was 10 years ago in the OHL. Raising money for any charity is a class act by any organization!