FAMILIES staying at Ronald McDonald House Glasgow to be near their children who are in hospital will be gifted a teddy bear when they check in.
It’s all thanks to the Glasgow Clan Elite League Ice Hockey team, who follow the North American hockey tradition of organising a Teddy Toss every year.
This sees fans throw teddy bears and other soft toys on to the ice when the home team scores its first goal in a designated match.
A group of Clan players visited Ronald McDonald House Glasgow to deliver 100 cuddly toys to the charity that provides cost-free living accommodation for families of seriously ill children, at the Royal Hospital for Children, in Glasgow.
The Teddy Bear Toss originated with the Kamloops Blazers team, from the Canadian Province of British Columbia in 1993. The first recorded Teddy Bear Toss was held on December 5, 1993, when a goal by Brad Lukowich prompted fans to throw more than 2400 teddy bears on to the ice.
The tradition spread quickly through the Canadian Hockey League and around the world – except for the North American National Hockey League, which discourages anything thrown on the ice.
Jennifer Neil, assistant manager at the Ronald McDonald House Glasgow said: “We want to say a big thanks to the Glasgow Clan for this fabulous gesture of donating the soft toys.
“Every time a family checks in to the House, they’ll find a soft toy in their room. It will be something for them to keep and hopefully give them some comfort, as they deal with a very traumatic time in their lives with their child in hospital.”
The Clan’s home rink is at Braehead Arena and managing director there, Gareth Chalmers said: “The Teddy Bear Toss, or as we like to call it, our Air The Bear event is very popular with our fans, known as the Purple Army and they throw hundreds of teddies and soft toys on to the ice when the Clan score a goal traditionally during one of November or December home games.
“I pay tribute to our fantastic fans, whose generosity knows no bounds when it comes to helping charities and good causes.