The Oswego State men’s hockey team is big on its community service, between the annual fall leaf raking sponsored by Oswego State athletics and its different promotional nights.

But the one that likely gets the fans most involved is the annual Teddy Bear Toss, helping the Toys for Tots Foundation in Oswego county. For the last three years, during the game, once the Lakers scored their first goal, fans throw stuffed animals on the ice which are eventually donated to less-fortunate children in the area.

The annual Teddy Bear Toss game started in December of 2016, when the then-No. 1 Lakers hosted Morrisville State. Matt Galati was the player to send the bears flying on the ice. That year, 573 stuffed animals were donated.

In 2017, Oswego State hosted The College at Brockport for the second Teddy Bear Toss. Cameron Berry scored five minutes into the second period, allowing fans to throw 736 bears on the ice.

Last season, now-captain Josh Zizek had the unique honor of opening up scoring for the Lakers against the Golden Eagles and allowing the teddy bears to soar. In a constant trend of improvement, 803 bears were donated.

“We improved from [2017]. I was hoping for 1,000,” Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said following that game.

In total, 2,112 bears have been donated by the Laker faithful for the Toys for Tots foundation. But it was a little frightening for people on the bench, like Gosek, during that first toss just a few seasons ago.

“The first year, it was shocking. It was like, ‘Oh man. That is a lot of stuffed animals. How long is this going to take to clean up?’ Gosek said. “They had it well-organized with plenty of people picking them up, putting them in garbage bags.”

Actually being on the ice when the first Oswego State goal is scored is also unique. Not only is the team potentially getting a lead in the game, but they are “helping a lot of people out just with simple teddy bears,” senior Anthony Passero said. Last season was his first-ever Teddy Bear Toss. 

“Any time you can play for something bigger than the game, it’s even better,” Passero said. “It’s a lot easier to just get it over with. But if you sit out there and take it in and laugh with the boys picking up teddy bears, it’s unheard of.”

Zizek said one does not realize how many bears actually get thrown onto the ice until after the game. The senior has not scored yet this season.

“To be the one who scores that goal and gets the teddy bears flying, it’s super cool. I’m going to try to score first again this weekend,” Zizek said. “You look in the crowd and see a bunch of people but you don’t really know how many bears they have and then they have it all in the dressing room. It’s just a huge mound.”

Toys for Tots was founded in 1947 by U.S. Marine Corps reservist Maj. Bill Hendricks. The first national campaign for the charity started in 1948, where Marine reservists and other volunteers collected refurbished toys and would use drill hours to refurbish the toys until 1979. Only new toys were accepted from 1980. 

In 1995, Toys for Tots became an official mission for the Marine Corps Reserves, approved by the secretary of defense. According to Toys for Tots, the goal of the charity is to “deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive and patriotic citizens,” according to the Toys for Tots website. 

The website also states since 1947, 556 million toys have been distributed to 258 million children.

Dominic Pike, the Toys for Tots representative for the Lakers’ Teddy Bear Toss, said this event is the second-largest fundraiser for the organization in the area.

“The past three years, the amount of teddy bears, toys and funds donated have far exceeded our expectations,” Pike said. “We wouldn’t be as successful without coach Gosek, the players and their parents, and to go along with the fans, it makes it a great event.”

For the cleanup of the bears, there is a stoppage in play while the players from Oswego State skate around and pick up the bears. Last season, members from The College at Brockport’s hockey team also helped, along with some of Pike’s student-athletes from Oswego High School.

“The kids are amazed when they see the outpouring of the fans during the Lakers’ games,” Pike said.

With the holidays right around the corner, Gosek said that “anything we can do to help give back, it’s a positive.”

“More importantly, our fans have been outstanding in supporting the event,” Gosek said. “All of the stuffed animals on the ice went to someone that certainly needs one. We feel good about that. We hope to keep it going, hoping fans will come out and support the United Way and Toys for Tots.”

In all of Zizek’s appearances in Oswego State’s Teddy Bear Tosses, he does not remember any specific stuffed animal that he picked up while he was on the ice. But this season, he has his eyes set on one goal.

“I always go for the biggest one,” Zizek said. “I’d love to get a picture just holding a big bear on the ice.”

Photo provided by Dominic Pike