Sports stats



Thunder Hosts Eighth Annual "Teddy Bear Toss"

January 24, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, a two time recipient of the ECHL "Award of Excellence," will let the fur fly with their fans in the eighth annual "Teddy Bear Toss" game presented by Dorfman Pacific, KAT Country 103 and 104.1 THE HAWK on Saturday, Jan. 26 against the Utah Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton Arena.

"Teddy Bear Toss is always one of the most anticipated promotions of the year for our fans," Thunder president Dan Chapman said, "It's clearly something everyone looks forward to. People walk in with literally dozens of stuffed animals to throw on the ice when the Thunder scores their first goal."

Teddy Bear Toss encourages fans to bring new or gently used teddy bears and other stuffed animals to Stockton Arena. When the Thunder scores its first goal that night, fans are encouraged to throw the stuffed animals onto the ice.

Volunteers from various local fire departments will assist the Thunder players and staff in picking up the stuffed animals from the ice. From there, the stuffed animals will make their way to United Way of San Joaquin County, which will distribute them to local non-profit agencies.

"Because of the cause," Chapman said, "the fact that teddy bears and stuffed animals go to kids in youth organizations in San Joaquin County, it's just a win-win for everybody. The Thunder wins by scoring goals, and the kids in the community win because of the generosity of our fans."

Last year, then-rookie forward Jesse Fratkin found the back of the net with one second left in the first period, unleashing a wave of stuffed animals thrown onto the ice. In total, more than 4,700 stuffed animals were collected.

In addition to the rousing success of a charitable cause, Teddy Bear Toss has proven to be a success on the ice as well. Fratkin's goal was one of seven for the Thunder on the night, as they defeated the Las Vegas Wranglers 7-5 to improve to 4-1-2 all-time in Teddy Bear Toss games.

All seven games have attracted crowds of more than 7,000, while five of those games have seen sellout crowds at Stockton Arena. Over 29,000 stuffed animals have been collected by the Thunder and donated to local youth through the United Way of San Joaquin County since the event began in 2005-06.

Tickets are on sale at www.Ticketmaster.com and discounts for groups of ten or more are available by visiting www.StocktonThunder.com or calling (209) 373-1500.

A two time recipient of the ECHL "Award of Excellence," the Thunder led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew over 200,000 fans for the seventh consecutive season in 2011-12. Season Tickets, Group Tickets and Mini-Plans for 2012-13 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.StocktonThunder.com.

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from January 24, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central