Anthony Ast is one of the Giants featured in the Teddy Bear Toss promo video, which the organization hopes will go viral before their December 14 game versus the Prince George Cougars. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Like a lot of organizations, the Vancouver Giants make important gestures to the charitable community throughout the year, and especially so at Christmas time. A great Xmas event is the Teddy Bear Toss, which takes place this year on December 14. Fans are invited to bring an unwrapped, new teddy bear (or other stuffed animal), and throw it onto the ice when the Giants score their first goal of the night. The toys are collected and donated to the Province Empty Stocking Fund for underprivileged children and the CKNW Orphans’ Fund — it’s a treat to be a part of, and an impressive display of generosity to see all those airborne bears.
Jason and Chris shared an elevator with Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and TEN TIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION Yvan Cournoyer.
The top-of-the-league Abbotsford Heat were back in action on Friday night to take on the decidedly not-the-top-of-the-league Hamilton Bulldogs. With hundreds of Canadiens fans in the building to watch les petits Habitants, Abbotsford arranged to have Habs legend Yvan Cournoyer – he of the TEN Stanley Cup rings – in the building to drop the puck for the ceremonial faceoff. Pucked in the Head absolutely did not intentionally delay our arrival so that we could share the elevator with him and get a picture. Mr. Cournoyer, who I’m happy to report is a very nice man who appeared not at all perturbed by two fanboys asking for his photograph in an elevator, cheerfully commented that he hoped it would be a good game. It was not. Well, not for the Bulldogs, it wasn’t.
