Want To Watch 28,000 Stuffed Animals Get Tossed Onto A Hockey Rink?

“An avalanche of fur” rained down onto the ice in Saddledome Arena on Sunday night, as the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen put on their 21st annual “Teddy Bear Toss” charity event. And it looked even more awesome than it sounds.

Every December, Calgary asks its fans to bring teddy bears to one of its games, and throw them onto the rink after the Hitmen score. When all was said and done this past Sunday, 28,815 stuffed animals were lobbed onto the ice, all of which will be given to charities and hospitals in the coming days.

That 28,815 number marks a 50 percent increase from last year’s total of 19,000, and they so overwhelmed the staff on hand that the players themselves took the ice to help round up the thousands of bears.

Again, 28,815 stuffed animals is a huge number. To give some perspective, it’s higher than the number of people at the highest-attended Stanley Cup playoff game ever, back in 1996.

What an amazing way for a sports team to take advantage of their enormous audience, making the holidays just a little bit brighter for those in the community. Keep doing your thing and tossing your bears, Canada.

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