Why don't the Bruins do a Teddy Bear Toss?

[Fenway]

Good Lord this is Marketing 101 - every media outlet in Boston would be all over this.

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[Bruinfanatic]

Do any NHL teams do this ,I know it is done in Junior hockey also.They have been doing it for years.

 

[ON3M4N]

That's a good question. Is something like this common at the NHL level? I went to school in Manchester, NH when they had the Monarchs and it seemed like every night was chuck a puck. I volunteered through the school one time to sell pucks and it was amazing how crazy people went over them.

 

[DominicT]

I love these in junior hockey. They are a treat.

A year ago, Michael DiPietro was in 3 of them on the road, and he shut out the home team in all three games. Fans tossed the stuffed animals out at the end of the game instead.

If I were to take a stab at it, I would venture to say NHL teams don't want to stop the game for half an hour to gather them all up.

 

[Fenway]

The AHL Hershey Bears were on every major network news last night because of this

There is NO downside for the Bruins doing this

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

Bah! Humbug! Orphans don't buy season tickets!

 

[wintersej]

Love the idea

 

[bigdog16]

The AHL Hershey Bears were on every major network news last night because of this

There is NO downside for the Bruins doing this

Theres just way too many people that would show up for it. Its the game all fans circle on the schedule and what like 10,000 people showed up in Hershey? Bruins would double that.

Ive played in one with 3,500 fans and it took a good 45 minutes to clean all the bears up with probably 75 people + players help picking up the bears.

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

Theres just way too many people that would show up for it. Its the game all fans circle on the schedule and what like 10,000 people showed up in Hershey? Bruins would double that.

I've played in one with 3,500 fans and it took a good 45 minutes to clean all the bears up with probably 75 people + players help picking up the bears.

Thanks for the input. I did not realize it took that long to clear them all. You cant use carts to hold the bears because then you risk the ice and having to resurface.

An hour delay is not something the NHL would be OK with.

 

[easton117]

Thanks for showing this Fenway. Daughter is home sick today, she got a good laugh from it.

As for the nhl doing this, they could always do it pregame. Hell Montreal has a full on celebration every Saturday night pregame when the play the Leafs or Bruins and you know not to tune in for half an hour or so.

Pretty sure doing something like this for kids at the pro level would be fun for everyone

 

[bigdog16]

Thanks for the input. I did not realize it took that long to clear them all. You cant use carts to hold the bears because then you risk the ice and having to resurface.

An hour delay is not something the NHL would be OK with.

We used massive garbage bags to haul ours out and it took forever. I think that's what Hershey did too. The worst part is the ice after you have a bunch of people walking all over it - after they have been walking around in slush outside. The ice gets bad, dirt everywhere. That's really the only downside though, super cool experience.

 

[BMC]

Like @easton117 said, do it before the game. I'm sure there is a way to do it if they wanted to do it.

17,500 people @ 1 bear each= 17,500 bears for charity and priceless publicity for the team. Truly a no brainer.

Get on it Charlie Jacobs!

 

[TD Charlie]

Do it RIGHT at the end of the game. That final buzzer sounds and bam, raining bears. Everybody wins.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

security reasons is why NHL teams won't do these types of promotions, remember, these were a lot easier to do before the protective netting was installed as well..... typically, the way this promotion works, is the team scores a goal, then the bears are tossed..... all affiliates do this, not just Hershey (which is the only non-NHL franchise among the original 6)

how would Bruin fans feel if the team skated out to a DC themed jersey instead of the current alternate thirds, that's a League mandated promotion, as Portland and Newfoundland did Saturday night, even those are auctioned off through the League

 

[ODAAT]

Good Lord this is Marketing 101 - every media outlet in Boston would be all over this.

agreed, too quick to hand out bobble heads but don`t do this. They did tosses at the Halifax Mooseheads games and this week they are doing one here at the Victoria Royals games, great cause, loads of fun, seems pretty simple to put together.

 

[talkinaway]

Do it RIGHT at the end of the game. That final buzzer sounds and bam, raining bears. Everybody wins.

Brilliant. This was my solution reading through this thread, too. Heck, I would be mildly annoyed if I was at a game and there were an unscheduled/unannounced 45-minute delay due to a teddy bear toss, but do it at the end of the game, and you just leave the ice crew to clean it all up when folks are gone.

It seems like such an obvious and easy thing to do. Pay the ice crew 60 minutes of overtime to clean up the ice after the game, and you get:

1) Increase demand for tickets to the game.
2) People staying until the end of the game. That means they want to eat/drink.
3) Tons, tons, tons of media coverage
4) Even more media coverage if you have each player select a bear to be autographed and auctioned off later on to raise money for the same charity.

And that's ignoring the tremendous amount of good that's done by having charity events.

Maybe security would be an issue? That's my biggest devil's advocate argument against this, but security exists at AHL venues, too, and they make it work.

Oh, and for the record - NO bobbleheads announced this year, yet. And their promo page has NO info on the charitable/PSA nights (heart health, cancer, hockey is for everyone), like they normally do.

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

The delay of game for broadcast partners... dealing with a union that wouldnt want its players routine to get disrupted that way...

On first glance im sure theres 100 charitible ideas that seem like great causes and free publicity but im sure the pr department evaluates them all much deeper than we do.

Theres always some hidden angle we didnt see

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Brilliant. This was my solution reading through this thread, too. Heck, I would be mildly annoyed if I was at a game and there were an unscheduled/unannounced 45-minute delay due to a teddy bear toss, but do it at the end of the game, and you just leave the ice crew to clean it all up when folks are gone.

It seems like such an obvious and easy thing to do. Pay the ice crew 60 minutes of overtime to clean up the ice after the game, and you get:

1) Increase demand for tickets to the game.
2) People staying until the end of the game. That means they want to eat/drink.
3) Tons, tons, tons of media coverage
4) Even more media coverage if you have each player select a bear to be autographed and auctioned off later on to raise money for the same charity.

And that's ignoring the tremendous amount of good that's done by having charity events.

Maybe security would be an issue? That's my biggest devil's advocate argument against this, but security exists at AHL venues, too, and they make it work.

not just AHL, but the ECHL arenas as well, the issues are depending on the arena where is the quickest way to throw a bear without it missing the intended target, same with the chuck a puck promotion, half or 2/3 miss the target altogether

 

[Tarantula]

We used massive garbage bags to haul ours out and it took forever. I think that's what Hershey did too. The worst part is the ice after you have a bunch of people walking all over it - after they have been walking around in slush outside. The ice gets bad, dirt everywhere. That's really the only downside though, super cool experience.

Mississauga uses a SUV to remove them from the ice. Still takes a while. I think all the major junior A teams have the toss.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Portland will do their version of this on Saturday;

MarinersOfMaine.com - Official Website of Maine Mariners Hockey

 

[sooshii]

What is “Chuck a puck”?

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

What is “Chuck a puck”?

basically, it's a similar thing to what a the teddy bear toss is: the difference is it's your regulation practice pucks that you see some players flip the pucks over the dasher/glass to fans.... the difference is there's a target usually at the center dot where you have 30 sec to a minute and a half to hit the target.... if you land near or on the target, you get a pre-determined prize, very similiar to the Ice Girls shooting t-shirts out of a minature cannon as far as they can shoot it

 

[Mantis]

If you used a skidsteer with a snow bucket you could clear the ice in a few minutes. You might have to modify the bucket a bit to make sure it cant damage the ice or the boards or the teddy bears.

 

[DominicT]

If you're in Canada, Sportsnet has Owen Sound at London tonight and it just happens to be Teddy Bear Toss night in London - and it's always a great one in London.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

There was a Teddy Bear Toss after Pastrnak got dummied last night.