Mike Sgarbossa is the most popular man in Hershey, Pennsylvania after scoring the Bears’ 2024-2025 Teddy Bear Toss goal against the Providence Bruins on Sunday afternoon.
Sgarbossa slipped a shot by Bruins goaltender Brandon Bussi 14:45 into the first period, beginning one of the greatest traditions in pro sports.
Thousands of stuffed animals were thrown onto the packed Giant Center’s ice, pausing the game as players and volunteers collected the “Sweet Cuddly Mayhem” in large bags for local charities.
“Sgarbossa shoots and SCORES,” Bears play-by-play man Zack Fisch yelled. “Bring on the sweet cuddly mayhem! Mike Sgarbossa makes the fur fly! It’s Teddy Bear Toss bedlam in Hershey!”
Sgarbossa scored after Alex Limoges broke the puck out of Hershey’s zone and fed Pierrick Dubé in the neutral zone. Dubé sped down the right wing and curled a backhand feed to Sgarbossa in the right faceoff circle. The veteran forward immediately snapped a shot, beating Bussi low on his glove side.
“Pretty cool, it’s my seventh year and it just gets more and more special each year,” Sgarbossa told Fox 43’s Todd Sadowski. “Did we set a new record? It’s always exciting. It’s the first one I’ve scored in seven years so that was fun. Coming out with the kids, it’s super exciting, just a great time.
“I think I got a couple (bears) in the head when I was trying to celebrate with the guys. It’s just a great experience, and it’s fun when you can contribute to make this happen. I’m glad we did it at this time because now we can just go into the second with five minutes extra.”
The goal was Sgarbossa’s fifth of the season and his 26th point in 23 games for the Bears. The 32-year-old center also recorded two points (1g, 1a) in three games with the Washington Capitals earlier this year.
Bears players posed for photos as they dove into the massive piles of stuffed animals all around the ice. Alex Limoges held a camera for Hershey’s social media channels as he dove into a pile with defenseman Hardy Häman Aktell.
Hershey set the new hockey record in the Teddy Bear Toss last year, collecting 74,599 stuffed animals after Bogdan Trineyev’s goal. Though the official count isn’t in, they look ready to easily top that mark this year.
Update: The Hershey Bears broke last year’s record, collecting 102,343 stuffed animals. Here are photos and videos RMNB took of the players on the ice during the spectacle.
