Raining Bears In Edmonton

While certainly not as long-running as the Calgary edition of this event, the Edmonton Oil Kings held their annual Teddy Bear Toss as they played host to the Calgary Hitmen! The Edmonton edition of the event was actually the 6th Annual Dodge Teddy Bear Toss presented by Global TV and Shaw Media as the overly-sponsored event had 12,575 fans inside Rexall Place in Edmonton for the event! With another excellent turnout of fans, it appears that a vast number of charities will be receiving a ton of fun and stuffing as the bears flew on December 7.

Arturs Kulda was the man who made it rain bears inside Rexall Place just two minutes in as he converted a turnover in the Calgary zone into a high shot that found its way under the crossbar past Calgary goaltender Chris Driedger! 10,835 stuffed toys rained down onto the ice as the Edmonton crowd celebrated, and it looked like the hometown boys came ready to play against their provincial rivals!

A powerplay goal with 9:02 to play in the first period by Curtis Lazar gave Edmonton a 2-0 lead, and the Oil Kings were off and running. But before the crowd could settle from the Lazar goal, Calgary struck. Cody Sylvester broke the goose egg as his goal came 29 seconds after Lazar's goal, and the period would end with the home team up 2-1.

Unfortunately for the Edmonton fans, they wouldn't have much else to cheer as Calgary added another goal in the second period and potted three in the third period to skate off with the 5-2 win over the Oil Kings.

One of the big fundraisers on the night, though, was the jersey auction held by the Oil Kings for their Teddy Bear Toss jerseys. Here's Oil King captain Griffin Reinhart wearing his in front of a pile of toys they collected!

I'm not going to lie about these jerseys: I like them. They aren't overly garish in terms of the teddy bear inclusion on them, and they have a certain charm to them. The 630 CHED Santas Anonymous logo on the shoulder is pretty cool, and the fact that the money goes to helping those in need during this time of year gets a major thumbs-up from me. Nothing wrong with helping others at any time of year, of course, but Christmas is always a time for giving. Well done on the uniforms, Edmonton!

Sure, the fans didn't get to celebrate a win on the night, but the city of Edmonton's charities had to be happy as they received 10,835 stuffed toys and additional $20,195.50 through the auction of the jerseys, the chuck-a-puck, and the 50/50 draw. That's a pile of toys and money that will go to a number of great organizations in Edmonton, and that's something everyone can cheer!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!