The history of Teddy Bear Toss – and the #11 conspiracy??

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**2012-13 update**
Evan Trupp’s goal 1:13 into the hockey game on Saturday is a record for the fastest TBT goal to start a game
Tune in Monday, Nov. 26 on KBAK 29 Eyewitness News from 6-9 a.m. for the TBT official count, coordinated by the United Way of Kern County


This Saturday, an annual tradition is renewed in Condorstown – Teddy Bear Toss! We are challenging fans to bring not one, but TWO stuffed animals to the game, in attempt to shatter the Condors Teddy Bear Toss record. It can be done, but we need everyone’s participation! In the meantime, here is a little background on the history of the event… and some shocking revelations we are affectionately referring to as “The Teddy Bear Toss #11 Conspiracy”. Enjoy!

The first Condors Teddy Bear Toss was held in the 1999-00 season. A crowd of 7,347 fans packed then-Centennial Garden and threw 2,553 stuffed animals onto the ice.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Condors President Matthew Riley. “We just thought it sounded like a cool idea and asked fans to participate. We were blown away by the response and it was clear that we needed to do it every season.”

The event really took off in 2002-03, when over 4,600 stuffed animals were tossed on the ice. The next season, 6,179 was donated. Since then the amount of bears never dipped below 5,475 and peaked in 2009-10 with 8,075. For eight consecutive seasons, the Teddy Bear Toss crowd has exceeded 8,000, with 2008-09’s crowd of 8,929 being the largest. Below is an assortment of Condors Teddy Bear Toss facts.

  • Only one player in Condors history has scored more than one TBT goal – Paul Rosebush (2002-03 and 2003-04)
  • 104,270 fans have attended the TBT games – an average of 8,021 per game
  • 73,111 stuffed animals have been collected – an average of 5,624 per game
  • 49 different non-profits and other agencies benefited by receiving stuffed animals last season. They are distributed by the United Way of Kern County to various organizations around the county
  • The Condors record is 6-7-0-0 all-time on TBT Night, with a couple shootout victories
  • 8 of the 13 TBT goals have been scored in the first period; 2 scored in the second and 3  were scored in the third
  • The earliest goal was scored the first ever TBT, when Paul Willett scored just 5:02 into the game
  • The latest goal was scored last season, when Scott Freeman scored with 7:47 left in the game
  • The player with the highest number to score “the goal” was Nate Metcalf (#48) in 2005-06; the lowest number was Connor James (#9) in 2004-05

The “11” Teddy Bear Toss conspiracy

  • 5 different players wearing #11 have scored the TBT goal: Jeff Goldie, Tim Konsorada, Dale Reinhardt, Slava Trukhno, Scott Freeman
  • In 4 of the last 5 years, #11 scored the goal… in the only non-#11 season during that stretch, Stephane Goulet scored it. He wore #22 (11 x 2).
  • Total number of stuffed animals collected: 73,111
  • 11 different opponents have been victimized by the Teddy Bear Toss in Bakersfield. Alaska, Fresno and now Ontario this season, are the only multiple occasion opponents (two each).