The Hershey Bears' annual Teddy Bear Toss collected 81,796 stuffed animals Sunday afternoon and will be distributed to local charities.
Since the Bears first hosted the event in 2001, the organization, its fans and corporate partners have donated nearly 650,000 teddy bears and other stuffed animals. Last year's total of 102,343 toys was still a world record.
Louie Belpedio's goal 2 minutes, 55 seconds into the first period on Sunday sparked the debate. As part of the club's Hershey Bear Cares program, the stuffed animals will now be donated to more than 60 local charities helping children in need.
