The Teddy Bear Toss is One of the Sports' Greatest Traditions

Twenty-five thousand stuffed animals.

That's how many rained down on the ice during the Calgary Hitmen's latest home game on Sunday night.  The WHL organization has kept the tradition going for nearly 20 years, and it gives me chills every time.

As the tradition goes, the Hitmen hold one game a year where they ask fans to bring in stuffed animals and teddy bears to be donated to local hospitals and shelters.  When the home team scores their first goal, that's when the fun begins.

The official count this year was 25,921 tossed from the 17,199 in attendance, breaking last year's record.

Coolest part about the tradition?  The next day, the Hitmen players visit the Alberta Children's Hospital to give out the teddy bears.

Teddy Bear Toss - Coolest Event In Pro Sports

You're looking at over 21,000 teddy bears raining down on the ice in Calgary. The Calgary Hitmen, of the WHL, held their 18th annual "Teddy Bear Toss" on Sunday night.

The Teddy Bear Toss has helped give over 213,000 stuffed bears to children through local hospitals and charities in the Calgary area since 1999.  The Toss occurs when a member of the Hitmen scores the team's first goal.  Sunday night, it took less than 15 minutes for the Teddy Bear goal, and took another 45 minutes for the bears to be swept up.

Watching this video is nothing short of amazing.  The Scotiabank Saddledome only seats 19,000, but over 21,000 bears were collected in just one night.  Its one of those feel good stories in sports, and its an awesome hockey story in a time when you can't even find an okay one.