DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Hershey hockey fans got excited for a different group of bears on Sunday. The team hosted its annual Teddy Bear Toss event at the Giant Center During the event, ticket holders bring the stuffed animals with them and then throw them onto the ice after the chocolate and white score their first goal.
This year, they went well beyond their donation goal by collecting over 18-thousand stuffed bears during the event. The stuffed animals will be donated to local charities where they'll be given to children for the holidays.
"There are a few other teams that do a teddy bear toss," Hershey Communications Specialist Kaylee Dugan said. "We have been doing it dating back to when the bears were playing at the Hersheypark arena, so again, it just has a history behind it. It's probably one of our longest-running theme nights and it's definitely one of our fan favorites."
Last year, over 17-thousand stuffed animals were tossed and donated for charity.