Teddy Bear Toss Sets New Record for Second Straight Year
December 1, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Bakersfield Condors News Release
Bakersfield, Calif. - The Bakersfield Condors, official ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, enjoyed a record-setting night for Teddy Bear Toss last Saturday, with 8,075 stuffed animals thrown onto the ice by 8,825 fans, following the first Condors goal.
The anticipation was stirring from the drop of the puck. With each shot attempt on the Las Vegas netminder, a groan came from the season's largest crowd, who were all poised for that special moment. And then it happened, so quickly. An offensive draw won to the boards, banked through the legs of a Wranglers defenseman and landed neatly on the stick of Stephane Goulet. The native of Levis, Quebec, walked towards the goal and went top shelf to score at 6:34 of the first period.
Pure pandemonium ensued, as stuffed animals large and small littered the ice for the next several minutes. Players retreated to their benches and the netminders backed into their cages to keep from being pelted by the avalanche.
When the dust settled after about 15 minutes, the fans had thrown a Condorstown record of 8,075 stuffed animals, topping the previous high of 7,614, set last season. In the 11-year history of the historic event, 60,544 stuffed animals have been donated through the Teddy Bear Toss. And for the 11th consecutive year, United Way of Kern County served as the collector of the stuffed animals, this season distributing them to 62 non-profit organizations in Kern County.
"The great thing with the Condors fans is that every year more people are participating in the Teddy Bear Toss, as you can see from the turnout," said Carmen Bernal, United Way of Kern County VP of Community Impact. "Even with economy as it is, Condors fans are helping in droves to instill hope in people who are in tough situations. We had double the agencies requesting this year, so it was great to get even more bears. It was a really fun day for us and we're happy to have found a way to unite Condors fans with families in need in the community."
Goulet helped unleash the bears and lead the Condors to a 3-2 victory on Saturday, but his participation in Teddy Bear Toss was not over. On Monday morning, Goulet helped in the tagging and bagging of the more than 8,000 bears that he brought raining down, by visiting the distribution center at the Society for Disabled Children's Hall. He was greeted there by dozens of volunteers and a local news crew.
"It's incredible to be a part of this event," said Goulet. "It's important to be able to put a smile on all of these kids' faces during this time. Scoring that goal definitely put a big smile on my face, seeing all those teddy bears come flying down."
The 8,825 fans marked the fifth largest attendance in Condors history. Five of the seven most attended games in team history have been Teddy Bear Toss contests. Over the past five years, the average Teddy Bear Toss attendance is 8,841. The Condors would like to thank the evening's sponsors, 29 Eyewitness News, KERN 1180 and Wells Fargo Bank, which sold stuffed ponies at the event for $1 to help make the night an even greater success.
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