THE CALGARY HITMEN are a junior hockey team, essentially a feeder side for the city’s NHL side the Flames.
But it says much about Canada’s passion for the sport that the youngsters are so passionately supported.
The Hitmen, in particular, have an incredible fan-base and have racked up numerous attendance records down through the years.
And that support comes in handy for the immensely popular Christmas tradition of the Teddy Bear Toss.
It’s quite simple. Fans bring along some cuddly toys to a game and when a goal is scored, those toys get hurled onto the ice.
All the toys are collected and given to those who need them most – with hospitals and charities benefiting the most.
On Sunday, the Hitmen could count on 19,289 people to get in on the act and, in total, 28,815 toys were collected.
Inevitably, the video footage is incredible.
Well done to all.
