New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss Reaches 20 Year Milestone

The 20th year of the New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss, the largest in college hockey, is now in the books. The Utica University Pioneers scored early in the first period and fans were then allowed to throw new, unwrapped stuffed animals onto the ice to benefit local families in need this holiday season.

"We are very proud to announce this year's 20th Annual Teddy Bear Toss game raised a total of 4,033 bears! A special thank you to everyone who donated & helped us reach this amazing total! We couldn't do it without the support & generosity of the community. Thanks to you, thousands of children in the Mohawk Valley are going to have a very Merry Christmas." - New York Sash

"We just want to thank everyone out there who came to the game and gave to the drive," said Jeff Reilly of New York Sash.

While Utica scored first, they were unable to register a win, losing the game 5-2 to Geneseo even though the Pioneers defeated the Rochester area college the night before, 2-1 in a shoot-out. But, that didn't slow down the holiday electricity inside the nearly sold-out Adirondack Bank Center.

Over the last two decades, more than 60,000 stuffed animals and teddy bears have been donated by fans at the Teddy Bear Toss. Watch the videos below that tell the history of the New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss, and exactly how it started 20 years ago.