IceHogs Host Annual Teddy Bear Toss Game on Saturday, Dec. 9

ROCKFORD, Ill.—The Rockford IceHogs host their annual Teddy Bear Toss Game presented by Big Radio on Saturday, Dec. 9 at the BMO Center with puck drop at 7 p.m. against the San Diego Gulls.

Each season around the holidays, the IceHogs host the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss game. Fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals and plush toys to the BMO Center and toss them onto the ice after the IceHogs score their first goal.

The stuffed animals are then collected and distributed throughout the community to children of need to help brighten their holiday season.

Last season on December 10, 2022, Michal Teply scored the goal that released the teddy bears, and the IceHogs collected 4,839 generously donated stuffed animals from the fans. The IceHogs’ record number of 5,526 bears was recorded in 2012.

The IceHogs players and staff delivered animals to over 20 organizations including hospitals, Rockford Rescue Mission, Rock House Kids, Carpenter's Place, Children's Home & Aid, St. Elizabeth Center, the YWCA, Booker Washington Center, and local Toys for Tots events.

IceHogs President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Mark Bernard along with his wife Julie are once again donating stuffed animals through the Bernard’s ‘Bernie’s Bears’. The Bernard family has donated hundreds of stuffed animals to the IceHogs’ annual Teddy Bear Toss.

The Kamloops Blazers of the WHL (Western Hockey League) recorded the first Teddy Bear Toss on December 5, 1993 when fans threw 2,400 bears on the ice after Brad Lukowich’s goal. Kamloops’ Marketing Director Don Larson is credited for creating the holiday season promotion.

The Teddy Bear Toss has left a positive and lasting impact on the communities, teams, and leagues that participate 20 years later. Last season, the AHL’s Hershey Bears set a new Teddy Bear Toss World Record on January 29, 2023 after collecting 67,309 stuffed animals—surpassing their previous record of 52,341 stuffed animals set in 2022.