There’s a fun tradition in minor league hockey leagues called the teddy bear toss. Fans bring stuffed animals to the games and wait for the home team to score its first goal. When that goal goes in the net, the fans throw their stuffed animals onto the ice -- where they are scooped up and donated to charities.
Over the weekend in Hershey, Pennsylvania, fans of the home team Bears broke a record by throwing 34,798 stuffed animals, creating a sea of toys on the ice.
People must have walked into the arena with their hands full as there were more than three toys thrown per fan. Amazingly, this teddy bear toss broke the previous record set in Calgary, Canada, by almost 10,000. And in addition to the toys, the night also produced tens of thousands of dollars in cash donations.
The Hershey Bears say the money and toys will be donated to 30 different local groups, which will hand them out to needy kids and families, definitely making an impact in the community this holiday season.