PORTLAND, Maine — Public address announcers often warn fans at sporting events not to throw things onto the field, court, or ice.
But minor league hockey around North America has carried on a 30-year tradition that warms the heart, while bringing play to a standstill.
On Sunday evening, the Maine Mariners eagerly greeted teddy-bear-toting fans at the Cross Insurance Arena for their game against the Adirondack Thunder. Nearly four-and-a-half minutes into the game, the Mariners scored. Children raced the the glass and unleashed a furry cascade onto the ice.
2,611 bears—large and small—fell to the frozen surface, by team officials' count that night. Players helped clean up the mess. Forward Ethan Keppen's eyes widened as he picked up a human-sized teddy bear and placed it into the bed of a pickup truck.
This "teddy bear toss," as it's known, originated somewhere in Canada. Some historians credit the Kamloops Blazers for starting the trend in 1993. Others can't come to a consensus. Regardless of its birth, the cotton-filled calamity soon caught on through many levels of minor league hockey. In January, the AHL's Hershey Bears reclaimed a world record with 67,309 teddies collected during a game.
Back in Portland, Mariners team president Adam Goldberg said the organization looks forward the toss each holiday season.
"The fans get to feel a part of the game," he smiled. "We have our chuck-a-puck during the second intermission, where people get to throw the foam pucks on. But, to be so engaged with the game – and you just feel the anticipation for that first goal. It is such a great feeling."
The team planned to split the haul between Toys for Tots and the Holden police department, which would then find worthy homes in that part of the state.