by Rhonda Massad
Laval’s Place Bell held it’s first ever Teddy Bear Toss last Friday night, December 8, during the Laval Rocket vs. Toronto Marlies hockey game. The holiday tradition that has toured the country, particularly in junior hockey, was a huge success.
Fans were invited to bring a stuffed teddy bear to the game to throw onto the ice following the Rocket’s first goal. Rocket’s Niki Petti set off the frenzy from the stands by foiling Marlie’s Garret Sparks at 15:32 of the first period. A shower of teddy bears flooded the icy surface. Two police patrol cars entered the rink along with police officers to collect the more than 3,500 toys.
The record for the largest number of teddy bears thrown on the rink belongs to the Calgary Hitmen. Fans launched no less than 28,815 stuffed toys on December 6, 2015.
For those that forgot to pick up plush toys before the game, they could purchase some at the entrance of the game for $2.
The Laval Police Department will distribute the toys to various community organizations such as; The Shield of Athena, Laval Youth Center, Little Hope Community Center, Val-Martin Community Center, Maison de la Famille Entraide Pont Vieux et Laval-des-Rapides et Maison de la Famille Saint-Fran, to help disadvantaged families during the holiday season.
