Fans donate over 12,000 stuffed animals during Cleveland Monsters ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ (video)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Hockey fans in Northeast Ohio broke a new record during Sunday’s ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ at the Cleveland Monsters game.

The yearly tradition took place during the Dec. 18 game between the Monsters, the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliate, and the Laval Rockets, the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate.

Fans began throwing the teddy bears, both new and gently used, onto the ice after the Monster’s first score of the game, coming from Joona Luoto with less than 10 minutes left in the first period of play.

Fans were able to donate a new record of 12,476 teddy bears, beating last year’s record of 10,168.

The team will be donating the teddy bears to local organizations that help provide emotional support to children involved in tragic situations.

The Monsters lost the game 4-1.

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