Teddy Bear Toss will be Saturday, December 6th!

With its origins tracing back to Canadian junior leagues in the mid 1990s, the Teddy Bear Toss has quickly become a staple at all levels of amateur and minor league hockey. On Teddy Bear Toss Night, fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals with them to throw on the ice after the home team scores their first goal of the night.

Once that goal is scored, all of the stuffed animals are collected, counted and donated to local charities in time for the holidays. 

The standard for the Teddy Bear Toss has been set and maintained by the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Since their first toss back in December of 1995, the Hitmen and their fans have collected a staggering 323,343 stuffed animals. In the past 10 years, Calgary has surpassed the 20,000 bear mark nine times, including a whopping 28,815 toys in 2016 - widely regarded as the world record for a Teddy Bear Toss. (Statistics from hitmenhockey.com)

Thinking of joining the fun Saturday as the Teddy Bear Toss comes to Bloomington? Here are a few tips and tricks to help make the most of this fun event:

Bring Multiple Bears: There's no rule limiting fans to one stuffed animal! The more animals that make it on the ice, the more toys delivered to local kids this holiday season!

Share Your Bears: Don't hesitate to give one to a nearby fan or child without anything to throw. The Teddy Bear Toss is more fun when everyone can get involved!

Select Bison partners will be hosting stuffed animal drives leading up to the game for fans who are not able to attend.

Fans can drop off donations at the following locations: Bobcat of Bloomington (13955 Carole Drive, Bloomington), Commerce Bank (1339 E Empire St, Bloomington), DoubleTree by Hilton-Bloomington (10 Brickyard Dr, Bloomington), D.P. Dough (121 E Beaufort St, Normal), DR. McKay’s Bar & Grill (909 North Hershey Road, Bloomington), Grove Street Bakery (812 E Grove St, Bloomington), Little Jewels Learning Center (1730 Evergreen Blvd, Normal), Nautical Bowls (112 E Beaufort St, Normal), Scribbles Center for Learning (1415 Woodbine Rd, Bloomington), Shake it Up (105 W Front St, Bloomington).

Stuffed animals will be donated to Bison partners and non-profit organizations including Bloomington-Normal YMCA, Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal, The Baby Fold, CASA of McLean and Logan Counties, The Center for Youth and Family Solutions, Easterseals Central Illinois, Habitat for Humanity McLean County, Lifelong Access, Midwest Food Bank and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central IL.

The Bison will wear specialty Peanuts-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off on DASH Auction. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.

BUY TICKETS