Calgary Hitmen’s Pavel Padakin Celebrates Teddy Bear Toss [VIDEO]
MONTREAL, QC. — Christmas is just around the corner and we all know what we want from Santa. Maybe a new computer? Smartphone? New car? Thanks to fans of the Calgary Hitmen, thousands of needy children will be getting a new stuffed animal this year.
Pavlo Padakin of the Calgary Hitmen (Photo by QMI Agency)
With 6:33 remaining in the first period, Pavel Padakin, right winger for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, started a wild reaction from over 17,000 fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome with his goal.
The teddy bear toss works like this: fans bring teddy bears to the game, following the first goal, fans toss their bears onto the ice. The bears are then collected and donated to local children’s hospitals and charities. The Hitmen collected 25,303 stuffed animals from the event on Tuesday night. Team members will personally deliver 400 bears to kids at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
This year the stuffed animals from this game will be donated to charities including the Cerebral Palsy Association, Salvation Army, and the Boys and Girls Clubs. The area was particularly hard hit this year as heavy flooding hit the region in June.
Tim Bozon, prospect for the Montreal Canadiens, offered his opinion of Padakin’s celebration on Twitter:
that should be a five game suspension for padakin after that celebration #flyby #sniper #snowangel #wtf
— Tim Bozon (@timbozon94) December 3, 2013
Another Habs prospect, Michael McCarron invited London Knights fans to ‘let the bears fly’ at their event during Wednesday night’s game:
Let the teddy bears fly tonight people #teddybeartoss
— Michael McCarron (@MacAttackUSA93) December 4, 2013
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