The Kelowna Rockets’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game is tonight at Prospera Place

It’s that time of year again at Prospera Place in Kelowna.

The Kelowna Rockets’ annual Teddy Bear Toss is set for Saturday night (Dec. 18) when the Kamloops Blazers come to town for a pre-Christmas showdown.

Teddy Bear Tosses have become a mainstay across B.C. in various hockey leagues. After the home team scores their first goal of the game, fans are prompted to throw teddy bears onto the ice in support of local charitable initiatives.

Saturday night in Kelowna, all of the stuffed animals will be donated to children and other patients at Kelowna General Hospital after the game.

Interior Health protocols require teddy bears to be new with tags still attached and placed in bags before being tossed onto the ice. The Rockets will supply bags for fans at the arena.

Kelowna’s version of the Teddy Bear Toss began in 2013. Since then, a number of notable Rockets alumni have scored the goal that has promoted thousands to throw stuffed animals onto the ice, including current Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube.

Kelowna Rockets Teddy Bear Toss scorers:

• Ryan Olsen (2013)

• Dillon Dube (2014-2015)

• Nick Merkley (2016)

• Conner Bruggen-Cate (2017)

• Mark Liwiski (2018)

• Nolan Foote (2019)

For tickets to tonight’s showdown in Kelowna against Kamloops at 7 p.m., fans are asked to visit selectyourtickets.com.

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