It isn’t rare for Flin Flon hockey fans to throw objects on the ice, whether it’s a cap after a hat trick or a moose leg after a big win.
During Friday night’s home game against the Nipawin Hawks, the objects took on a cuddlier, cuter form.
The Bombers held their eighth annual Teddy Bear Toss Friday night. When Eric Sinclair scored the Bombers’ first goal of the night, the crowd started throwing.
The exact number isn’t yet known, but dozens of teddy bears, toys and stuffed animals hit the ice.
“Attendance was 874, and from what I can tell it was the best teddy bear toss we’ve ever had,” said Bomber marketing coordinator Tanya Benoit. “It was the most we ever collected.”
The bears were gathered in the back of a truck and were paraded for the crowd during the first intermission, nearly spilling over the sides of the truck’s bed. A larger than expected crowd came to see the spectacle, many with toys in tow.
“It was a really good feel,” said Benoit. “Everybody who was walking through the door had a teddy bear or a toy to donate.”
The bears will be collected and donated to the Flin Flon Aboriginal Friendship Centre as part of the centre’s Christmas Gift Program.
The bears and toys will be presented to the centre later this week. “They’ll all go to the kids,” said Allison Wilson, general manager at Northland Ford, which sponsors the event. “We’ll be dropping them off this week. Everybody got to take part and help out the kids.”
