Fans attending the Hershey Bears’ matchup against the Laval Rocket on Saturday night will be going home with a nice new collectible.
The Hershey Bears are giving away free bobbleheads of Hunter Shepard to the first 5,000 fans that enter Giant Center for the game.
The bobbleheads feature a smiley and beardy Shep lifting the Calder Cup over his head. Rocking an away jersey, the bobbles are based on the picture Shepard took after the Bears defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds in overtime of Game Seven of the Calder Cup Finals to become champions for a twelfth time.
Bobble Shep features a Calder Cup Finals patch on his jersey. On the base sits the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy he received after being named Playoff MVP. Pepsi is the title sponsor of the giveaway.
A bunch of Bears players got a first look at the bobblehead during Capitals Training Camp in September. Their reactions were priceless.
When we showed guys Shep’s bobblehead for the first time, the reactions were PERFECT pic.twitter.com/gIYtfV574D
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) November 17, 2023
“That’s good, I like that!” Beck Malenstyn said.
“I love it,” Hendrix Lapierre said.
“That is impressive,” Clay Stevenson said.
“Love it,” Riley Sutter said.
“His beard hair is so bushy!” a laughing Mike Vecchione said.
“That’s pretty good,” Joe Snively said. “We’ve got to get some kind of fishing rod for him.”
“YES!” Dylan McIlrath said. “Shepdaddy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile like that. It’s nice.”
“That’s some good detail for him!” Ethen Frank said. “I like that!”
Connor McMichael, Matt Strome, and Vincent Iorio were all pretty much reduced to laughter upon seeing it.
Meanwhile, Shepard seemed to be having an anxiety attack as he was about to see the image. “Oh god.”
Upon seeing the sample image, he replied “that doesn’t look like me at all.”
The Bears have also been doing some brilliant promotion to try and push tickets for the game, asking Logan Day and Jake Massey to draw what the Shepard bobblehead should look like with magic markers. They were also challenged to do so while having their hockey gloves on.
What do you think… should we have let these two design the bobblehead? 🎨🤪 pic.twitter.com/1S1ufMjXyj
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 15, 2023
The result was incredible. Massie gave Shepard even more emphatic hair while Day outfitted him with a hunting rifle to celebrate his love of hunting.
Shepard’s stock has only risen since his incredible performance during the Bears’ playoff run last year. He earned his first NHL victory and is 2-0-0 in two starts for the Washington Capitals this season.
Fans attending the Bears game tonight will also have their opportunity to get their hands on a new drop of game-used equipment and merch from the team including helmets, gloves, and shirts from the 2023 playoffs.
It's back! 🛍️
Hershey Bears Authentics will be open this evening! Join us at GIANT Center and visit the pop-up store outside Section 124 on the concourse to score game-used & team-issued Bears memorabilia! pic.twitter.com/0kzPIO47gM
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 16, 2023
Update: Lines for the bobblehead extended to the parking lot before doors opened at 5:30 pm.
Think people are excited it’s @pepsi Hunter Shepard Bobblehead Night? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KYZKgXDlwz
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 16, 2023
