Rangers collect nearly 10,000 stuffed toys in annual Teddy Bear Toss

The Kitchener Rangers had high hopes for their Teddy Bear Toss – and the fans didn’t let them down! CTV’s Karis Mapp tells us which player got the big goal.

Nearly 10,000 stuffed animals hit the ice Tuesday night at The Aud as the Kitchener Rangers held their 30th annual Teddy Bear Toss.

Fans packed the arena for the game against the Erie Otters, arriving with stuffed toys of all sizes to throw onto the ice after the Rangers’ first goal.

The Otters built a three-goal lead before Kitchener forward Jack Pridham scored late in the second period, triggering the toss.

“It was awesome,” Pridham said. “Got the puck down low and put it on net. Great screen by Christian Humphreys and it was great to see it go in. It’s obviously for a great cause, so to see all the fans bringing their bears, it was awesome.”

Staff and volunteers collected 9,989 stuffed animals, which will be distributed to local charities, organizations and schools ahead of Christmas.

Chantal Valliere, the Rangers’ game-day operations manager, said the annual event highlights community support.

“It just shows that it’s not only the organization, but the fans are involved in the community and it has such a great community outreach,” she said.

The total fell just short of the more than 10,000 bears collected during last year’s game.