Some previous Brandon Wheat Kings’ teddy-bear toss goal scorers were asked by The Brandon Sun what it meant for them to get the goal. Some of the quotes came directly after the game, while others came via text years after the goals were scored.

• Brett Hyland (2021)

“I didn’t really grasp the concept when it happened, but now I understand how special it was and it’s something I will truly never, ever forget. It will stay with me when I’m 80 years old and can look back at it and smile. It’s amazing.”

• Ridly Greig (2019)

“Obviously it’s pretty cool when they start to come over the glass. It was really just a surreal moment for me. It feels good.”

• Connor Gutengerg (2018)

“It felt pretty good. I’ve been to a lot of teddy-bear tosses as a kid in this rink so it was pretty cool.’

• Gunnar Wegleitner (2017)

“At morning skate I heard I was dressing in the teddy-bear toss game. My only goal that night was just to play well enough to stay in the lineup. I prepared for that game as it was any other game. Once I got to the rink I had (assistant coach) Don (MacGillivray) come up to me, he said he has put money on me for scoring the teddy-bear toss goal. It was a great feeling knowing a coach believed in you. From that point forward I had a little more pressure … all the guys in the dressing room talking about being so nervous about not scoring a goal and getting shut out, which would have been so sad, haha.

“Game time started and just like every other we started pretty well in the first 10 minutes of the game. I was playing with (Stelio Mattheos) and (Ty) Lewis, two very skilled players, which was a bonus. Late in the first period, Stells, Lewis and I had a dominant shift in the offensive zone. Close to the end of the shift I noticed I was in the high slot and Stells had the puck on his backhand with two guys on him. He threw the puck right to me in the slot and I had a one-timer point blank in the hash marks … then I see hundreds of teddy bears raining onto the ice above my head.

“By far my most memorable hockey goal ever. Just the feeling I’ll always be a small part of Wheat Kings massive history.”

• Linden McCorrister (2016)

“It was pretty cool to see everything come down. All the boys were pretty excited.”

• Tyler Coulter (2015)

“It’s an awesome game, always one of my favourites. It’s a pretty exciting night. Everyone wants to score the goal and we all know it’s going to happen early because everyone is so ready to play! I was super happy to score one: Just to have the bears coming down through the handshake line was awesome! Pretty cool experience going to games and then scoring that goal!”

• Duncan Campbell (2014)

“The teddy-bear toss game has always been a highly anticipated game that is so much fun to play in and us players always had that game circled on the calendar. In the days leading up to the game, the guys would all joke with each other about who they think will score the first goal and what celebration they will do, but the reality is everyone wishes they could be the one to score and make the teddy bears fly. I was lucky enough to score the teddy-bear toss goal on my first shift of the game and it was a feeling like nothing I have felt before.

“Scoring that goal was like I hadn’t scored a goal before in my life. It’s hard to describe the feeling because everything happens so fast. The adrenalin is pumping, the crowd is going crazy … it was just so much fun. If I had to describe the feeling I would say it was a mixture of relief and shock, but mostly joy! Skating back to the bench watching (and occasionally having to dodge) the teddy bears rain down was one of the coolest things I have experienced. It was such a surreal feeling to score that first goal but what made it even more special was being able to do it in front of so many friends and family. I think that’s what makes the memory even more unforgettable.”

• Cale Jefferies (2007)

“It’s getting to be quite a long time ago now but of course I remember it. There wasn’t an abundance of goals for me to remember, haha. I was a 17-year-old rookie on the fourth line in and out of the lineup so I wasn’t ‘supposed’ to score it. I remember some of the high-scoring guys were shocked. Out of the 50 they scored that was the one they wanted, haha. We were playing Saskatoon and it was a wrap-around on Brayden Holtby. The amount of teddy bears on the ice was incredible and the crowd was so loud! A great memory!”

• Lance Monych (2001)

“The teddy-bear toss was a whole new thing to me, I never seen anything like it before growing up in Winnipeg going to Jets games. I learned about it in my 16-year-old year and then I was actually shocked when we did score to see how many fans participated. As a team we always knew when it was teddy-bear toss night, you could almost sense a special energy in the barn with all the fans waiting for their cue to toss the bear. Definitely not a night you want to get shut out on. Haha!

“The teddy-bear goal is for sure a memorable goal if you’re on the ice for it. It’s a different feeling, however, than a playoff game-winning goal. The playoff winner is more about getting closer to the end goal of winning a championship, but the teddy-bear goal is different in the sense that it’s a heartwarming moment when you think about the meaning of it. Great to see how many people participate and help get a gift into the hands of a child that otherwise may not have received any gifts for the holidays.”

» Compiled by Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun