Last season, Hershey’s annual Teddy Bear Toss didn’t go as planned as the home team was shutout for the first time while hosting this event. This year, that wasn’t the case as Bogdan Trineyev scored the goal that sent teddy bears flying. The GIANT Center crowd once again pelted the ice with stuffed animals that will be donated to local charities.
The crowd of 10,765 fans tossed 74,599 teddy bears and stuffed animals onto the ice, setting a new hockey record.
The teddy bears and stuffed animals are collected and donated to more than 30 local and regional organizations in the Hershey area, such as the Catherine Hershey Schools, Vista Autism Services, Harrisburg School District, Cocoa Packs, Hershey Food Bank, Helping the Harrisburg Family, Palmyra Lions Club, Milton Hershey School, and Autism Society Greater Harrisburg Area.
"LET THE SWEET CUDDLY MAYHEM COMMENCE!"
🧸🧸🧸Bogdan Trineyev gets the fur flying! 🧸🧸🧸@GiantFoodStores | #TeddyBearTossHershey | #HersheyBearsCares https://t.co/vLBv2DS6Gx pic.twitter.com/lhvTt9Q3ty
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) January 7, 2024
Trineyev scored the goal that brought down the bears.
Bears captain Dylan McIlrath and Alex Limoges went airborne into a pile of teddy bears.
Calder Cup hero Mike Vecchione jumped in on the fun as well.
Pierrick Dube helped clean off the ice.
Trineyev and Ivan Miroshnichenko with some souvenirs.
Bears players helped clean up the ice following the goal.
The two players that had the most fun with the Teddy Bears by far were Vincent Iorio and Clay Stevenson.
Stevenson, who was the backup goalie, helped get down Bears that were caught in the protective netting, then received massive cheers from the crowd. Stevenson was the last player on the ice helping to clean up the stuffed animals.
Iorio found a pile of teddy bears and other stuffed animals and continued to be pelted by the crowd.
“I thought I would be a little kid and jump around and admire all the Bears,” Iorio said after the game.”It was just me being a kid.”
.@viorio14 can’t escape the Teddy Bear onslaught. pic.twitter.com/2iFVObRUr9
— Brandon Alter (@brandon__alter) January 7, 2024
Iorio then climbed to the top of the mountain of Bears.
Iorio escaped then climbed the mountain. pic.twitter.com/CYZ3DKcPEl
— Brandon Alter (@brandon__alter) January 7, 2024
Even Hershey Bears Vice President of Hockey Operations Bryan Helmer joined in on the action.
The Bears ended up winning the game 3-2 in overtime, but as Hershey head coach Todd Nelson said “not only did we win, but the children of Pennsylvania won.”
