The History of the Teddy Bear Toss Featuring Brad Lukowich

 

Brad Lukowich: Stanley Cup Champion & Teddy Bear Toss Champion

 

DFW hockey fans know the name Brad Lukowich from his 568 game, 13 year NHL career that included Stanley Cup championships with Dallas in 1999 and Tampa Bay in 2004. What many don't know is Brad is famous around the world as the first player recorded scoring a goal that triggered a Teddy Bear Toss.

 

- The Teddy Bear Toss was the brainchild of the Marketing Director, Don Larson, of the Kamloops Blazers (WHL) in 1993. How did Larsen come up with the idea? It all started with a truck according to an article from the local Kamloops paper (CFJC Today). Here is how Larson described how he came up with this marketing idea. "I was sitting at home one day, I think a truck went by and rattled the house and a little mini teddy bear fell of the mantle. For some stupid reason the idea popped into my head." It took some convincing by Larson to get the Kamloops management and the Western Hockey League to approve the idea but he got approval "to give it a shot."

 

- The first Teddy Bear Toss game just passed its 30 year anniversary. It happened in a game between the Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks on December 5, 1993. A 17 year old rookie defenseman, Brad Lukowich, scored the goal that sent the teddy bears flying and started a tradition that has been copied by amateur and professional hockey teams all over the world. It has grown outside of hockey to include basketball and soccer.

 

- Larsen expected around 200 bears would be tossed after the Lukowich goal in 1993 but to his surprise over 2400 were tossed on the ice. Other teams saw what happened and latched on to Larson's marketing idea and the rest is history.

 

- The record for the most Teddy Bears tossed has been an every moving number. Here are a few records from over the years I found from an internet search that claimed to be world records at the time. It is appropriate the AHL Hershey Bears have the title of king of the Teddy Bear Toss.

• 2400 - Kamloops Blazers (1993)
• 28,815 - Calgary Hitmen (2015)
• 34,798 - Hershey Bears (2018)
• 45,650 - Hershey Bears (2019)
• 52,341 - Hershey Bears (2022)

 

- Here is a video from after Hershey set a new record in 2022 that covers the history of the Teddy Bear Toss and all of the good that comes from these events. It is well worth watching and includes Brad Lukowich's first ever teddy bear toss goal from 1993.

 

 

 

- Hershey set another record for most bears collected last January 29th in a game that the officials opted to end early. There was a mutiny by the Hershey fans as the clock ticked down with their the team being shutout 2-0. Fans started throwing bears with 5.4 seconds left in the game so the referees ended it early. The final count was 67,309 bears and stuffed animals. When you consider there were 10,583 in attendance it averages  just over six bears per fan. The teddy bears and stuffed animals go to more than 35 local organizations in the Hershey area. The game was delayed 41 minutes while all the bears and stuffed animals were collected.

 

 

If you think you have seen a lot of teddy bears on the ice, check out this video from Hershey's record night last January 29. It is eight minutes long but worth every minute:

 

   

 

- While the NHL still allows fans to throw hats on the ice after hat tricks, the league will not allow any team to start a Teddy Bear Toss night. It is a matter of safety as well as the delay caused to pick up all the bears that would fly in a big arena. At NHL arenas, anything thrown from the stands would likely hit other fans. 

- Brad Lukowich, the player that started it all 30 years ago will be in attendance at the CUTX Event Center for Allen's Teddy Bear Toss this afternoon (Saturday). Remember game time is 4:10 pm CST. Brad lives in Celina, coaches youth hockey and owns a solar business called Power Play Solar. Brad will drop the ceremonial puck and will also meet fans and sign autographs from 3:00 pm to 3:50 pm right outside sections 115-116. When I talked to Brad about his memory of that very first teddy bear toss goal it was all about what happened afterward. As a teenager he got to deliver teddy bears to children who were in the hospital and that was so rewarding to him and gave him great satisfaction. So his memory wasn't about the goal but all  the good that came from the goal.     

DID YOU KNOW: One of the assists on Brad Lukowich's historic goal was from another future NHL player, Shane Doan. The 1993-94 season ended with the Kamloops Blazers winning the Memorial Cup (the national championship of Canada's three major junior hockey leagues).