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The start of December marks the arrival of Teddy Bear Toss Season thanks to the many minor league hockey teams who take part in that beloved tradition. That includes the Ottawa 67’s, the OHL club that was involved in an amazing clip chronicling the chaotic scene that unfolded when the event was held over the weekend.
In 1993, the Kamloops Blazers of Canada’s Western Hockey League dreamed up the Teddy Bear Toss, a promotion where fans were invited to bring those iconic toys and other stuffed animals to a game and throw them on the ice after the team scored its first goal so they could be collected and donated to charity.
That marked the start of a tradition that is going stronger than ever more than three decades later, as there are a ton of minor league hockey teams that latched onto the altruistic event that has the potential to create quite a spectacle with the help of the fans who can end up throwing tens of thousands of plush objects over the glass when everything is said and done.
Last week, we were treated to a pretty strange story courtesy of a Teddy Bear Toss that led to an OHL player being ejected and suspended for flicking multiple stuffed animals back into the crowd with his stick, and that league has once again delivered thanks to what unfolded when the Ottawa 67’s hosted the Barrie Colts for a showdown on Sunday.
Barrie had a 1-0 lead midway through the second period when Ottawa’s Luca Pinelli tied things up with a one-timer on the power play, and fans didn’t waste any time kicking off the Teddy Bear Toss once the red light was triggered.
However, what was supposed to be a joyous occasion was marred by the multiple scuffles that broke out between players in the wake of a goal, and the broadcast captured a truly hilarious scene that appropriately included someone in a Grinch costume shuffling across the ice in the background.
A truly unique edition of The Beautiful Game, as the Ottawa 67’s and the Barrie Colts get into a kerfuffle in the middle of the Teddy Bear Toss. pic.twitter.com/2zXj2a1QQc
— David Castillo (@DavidCastilloAC) December 8, 2024
When the dust settled, the officials handed out a slew of roughing penalties and misconducts that led to three members of the Colts and two guys on the 67’s being sent to the penalty box, and Barrie ultimately walked away with the 2-1 victory.