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Hershey Bears fans force game to end early with goalless Teddy Bear Toss, set another new world record

By Ian Oland

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January 29, 2023 11:40 pm

HERSHEY, PA — On Christmas day, my wife Ashley surprised me with tickets for the whole family to attend the Hershey Bears’ Teddy Bear Toss Game. It was such a thoughtful gift. The gesture would allow my young son Ethan to get a better idea of what I do as a member of the hockey media. It’d also allow him to participate in one of the most fun events in all of hockey.

As we were making the drive up to Hershey on Sunday, I explained to Ethan that he had to hold onto the teddy bear tight — in this case, a stuffed moose — until a Hershey Bears player scored a goal. Then he could try to hurl it onto the ice. But in real life, dad’s explainer was not nearly nuanced enough for what happened in the actual game.

For the first time in Hershey Bears’ Teddy Bear Toss History, the Bears did not score a goal and were shut out 2-0 by the Bridgeport Islanders. Their failure to put the biscuit in the basket led to a full-scale, stuffed-animal revolt by fans which caused the game to end early. It’s something I didn’t know was possible!

After beating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at PPL Center 7-3 the previous night, the Hershey Bears came back home to Giant Center to face Bridgeport. You could tell it’d be a difficult night to score immediately in the first period despite the anticipation in the crowd. Bridgeport did not yield many odd-man rushes and effectively shut down the middle of the ice frustrating the Bears. When Hershey came out for the second period, they forechecked hard in the corners and threw the body, electrifying the crowd as they put 18 shots on net. But still — no goals. The third period was mostly sleepy until an announcement was made over the PA system with around three minutes to go.

The Bears told fans not throw their stuffed animals if the team scored in the final minutes. The announcement was met with griping and a loud chorus of boos. But the announcement was made for good reason: it takes about 20-30 minutes to clean up all the stuffies once they’re thrown on the ice. With the third period almost over, it would essentially create a third intermission to finish the final minutes of the game and also would potentially zap any momentum players might create with a goal.

The announcement had the opposite effect intended on the crowd. After another stoppage in play shortly after, several fans threw stuffed animals onto the ice in defiance before a faceoff in the Bears’ offensive zone. Again, the Hershey PA announcer warned fans that the team would get a minor penalty for delay of game if it kept happening. They did not heed the warning.

After Hershey was unable to score several times with goaltender Hunter Shepard pulled for an extra attacker, Bears fans began throwing their stuffed animals onto the ice as both teams prepared for a faceoff with 5.4 seconds remaining. The unprompted toss began with a few fans throwing their stuffies in disappointment, which created an avalanche effect for the rest of the crowd where they just figured I guess we should toss our bears, too.

Islanders players skated to the middle of the ice to avoid being pelted while several Hershey Bears players including Connor McMichael were notably upset as they skated off the ice.

If last year’s Teddy Bear Toss was Sweet Cuddly Mayhem, this year’s was just… Mayhem.

I was standing in the Zamboni Entrance behind the Hershey Bears’ goal. Normally, when a goal is scored and the toss begins, the gates are opened and media are allowed to go onto the ice to cover the event. Not this year. Instead, we were told to stay back as officials and Hershey Bears employees tried to get fans to stop throwing the bears. Fans did not stop throwing the bears.

Eventually, I ambled onto the side of the ice and asked one of the AHL referees if they were going to just end the game early. That made the most sense.

He replied, “I have no idea. This is unprecedented.”

Minutes later, the game was called at the 59:55 mark and the media was finally waved onto the ice as most of the tossing was already over. A bummer, but understandable.

Usually, the Teddy Bear Toss is a joyous occasion as players, with huge grins on their faces, jump into the stuffed animal piles and help clear the ice of the donated gifts. But this year, it was somewhat awkward. Bears players were obviously down that they lost — likely frustrated that their eight-game point streak came to an end and that they disappointed fans.

“To all the Hershey Bears fans, we thank you guys a lot,” Vincent Iorio said in an apology video. “It’s a pretty devastating defeat. We’re pretty upset about it. We really appreciate all the support you’ve showed us this season so far. Hopefully, there’s some big things to come.”

Only a few players jumped into the piles. I saw captain Dylan McIlrath, Mason Morelli, and Iorio do so.

It was still special though and there were some particularly wonderful moments.

Such as this sign playing off the phrase Hold My Beer.

I also noticed a group of Bears fans in the lower bowl walking down the aisle with a teddy bear that was the size of an elephant. The fans worked hard but were unable to get the heavy stuffed animal over the glass. But after a bunch of finagling, they finally managed to do so. The entire arena erupted in cheers.

I also had a moment with my son. Ethan saw me down on the ice and came down to the glass to say hi. He helped throw some of the stuffed animals that didn’t make it over the glass onto the ice and you could see he was having the time of his life.

And then, the best part. Hershey Bears fans broke their own world record once again, donating 67,309 teddy bears to a bunch of needy families and kids.

Per a Hershey Bears press release:

The Hershey Bears have once again established a new world record in one of the best promotions in all of sports. The Bears, the oldest and most decorated team in the American Hockey League, collected 67,309 teddy bears and stuffed animals during Sunday’s GIANT Teddy Bear Toss. This surpasses the club’s previous world record of 52,341 collected in 2022. The world-famous event, held during today’s game versus the Bridgeport Islanders, traditionally sees fans throw stuffed animals onto the ice following Hershey’s first goal of the game. Unfortunately, the Bears were blanked by Bridgeport, 2-0, so the stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice following the conclusion of the contest, and will now be donated to over 35 local charities.

As part of the club’s Hershey Bears Cares initiative, which showcases the philanthropic activities and volunteer efforts of Bears players and staff members throughout the community, teddy bears and stuffed animals are collected and donated to more than 35 local organizations, including Dauphin County Children and Youth, Cocoa Packs, Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg, Palmyra Lions Club, and Autism Society Greater Harrisburg Area. Since the Bears once again broke the Teddy Bear Toss world record, the Sweigart Family Foundation will make a $50,000 donation to Children’s Miracle Network.

The club has collected 389,508 teddy bears since 2001.

While the game and the toss aspect didn’t go according to plan, my son had the time of his life and could not stop talking about the experience in the car ride home. Most importantly, the generosity of Bears fans will put smiles on the faces of a lot of less fortunate people. And in the end, that’s what this is all about.

Photos

All photos by Elizabeth Kong/RMNB

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