Nottingham Panthers Teddy Bear Toss 2024 - exact moment it ‘rains cuddly toys’
During a 3-2 victory over Dundee Stars, Nottingham Panthers held their iconic Teddy Bear Toss, collecting over 1,400 soft toys for charity.
Nottingham Panthers beat Dundee Stars 3-2 on Sunday, December 1, 2024, a triumph that was marked by a quirky tradition - a Teddy Bear Toss.
Over 1,400 teddies rained down on the Motorpoint Arena when Sam Herr's shot was deflected into the net early in the first period.
Soft toys came onto the ice from all parts of the arena.
Herr said: "When the puck went in I had forgotten that it was Teddy Bear Toss night but then soon realised as I got hit by a few as we started celebrating!
"It really is special and it was great to be on the ice for the goal and see all those teddies coming onto the ice.
"Our fans really are superb and they showed how generous they are by the amount of teddies that were donated."
After seeing hundreds of teddy bears thrown onto the rink, a commentator said:
“It’s a great tradition every year, it’s raining cuddly toys! And now there’s a clean-up operation on.’
It is reported a transit van had to make two journeys to and from the Motorpoint Arena, once the teddy bears had been collected off the ice.
The Nottingham Panthers wrote: ‘We would like to thank Copley Scientific for their support with the van and volunteers, as well members of the Church at Community.
‘Thank you also to all the volunteers, players and officials who helped shift the teddies in double-quick time to restart the game again.
‘Panthers supporters have been donating teddies for well over a decade now and these latest soft toys will be distributed to deserving children in the coming days.’
What is Teddy Bear Toss?
A Teddy Bear Toss is a popular Christmas activity where fans celebrate their team’s promotion by flinging teddy bears onto the ice.
It is a fun and quirky practice in minor league hockey games.
As teddy bears are thrown during the game, toys are quickly gathered by volunteers who skate onto the pitch and scoop up the bears.
The toys are usually donated to local charities and hospitals, with many ice hockey players personally donating the bear to children in-person.