WATCH: Cleveland Monsters Fans Throw 16K Stuffed Toys onto Ice for Needy Children

Amy Furr

The Cleveland Monsters hockey team got tons of help at Friday night’s game with its efforts to bless local children for Christmas.

The annual Teddy Bear Toss night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, in which fans love to participate, was a huge success, according to the News-Herald, which said the donated toys will go to needy children in Cleveland.

An image shows some of the stuffed toys scattered on the ice:

The first period of the game between the Monsters and Belleville Senators did not result in a score; however, fans could not wait to toss the stuffed animals they brought onto the ice once the Monsters made a goal, the report continued:

Fans did not have to wait long once the second period began. James Malatesta skated down the right side of the ice toward the Belleville net. He snapped a pass ahead to left wing Justin Pearson bearing down on the left post and then Pearson beat Kevin Mandolese glove side at the 17:37 mark for a 1-0 Monsters lead. The goal sparked a 2-1 victory. The Monsters lead the AHL North at 16-7-1-0.

Moments later, fans began throwing the toys onto the ice, and the final count was a record 16,112. Video footage caught the moment it appeared to rain stuffed animals.

“Couldn’t have been able to make snow angels without all of you pitching in to bring bears to the game,” the Monsters wrote in a social media post early Saturday.

“All 16,112 bears from the game will be donated to local charities,” the post added:

A gif shows one of the hockey players standing among the stuffed Christmas gifts and high-fiving a mascot:

The team on Thursday asked fans to bring the unused stuffed toys for the event, noting that “Several organizations will be present to help collect the rainfall of stuffed animals, including Kent State University, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit and CBz Buddies.”

The News-Herald report noted the final score was Monsters 2 and Senators 1.

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