Calgary Hitmen hockey fans and players stood amidst a barrage of 23,000 stuffed animals that flew through the air on Sunday, as the team's annual Teddy Bear Toss commenced with strong participation.

Sunday night's game marked the 16th anniversary of the 16th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss, which has become a minor league tradition. The 26,919 bears thrown world record was set in 2007 by the Hitmen, according to Yahoo's Puck Daddy.

The total was a spectacular show of involvement from the crowd of just 16,000, reported NBC Sports.

Fans waited patiently for the first goal of the game, which was scored by Cody Sylvester at 3:49 in the first period, and then launched a barrage of fluffy bears and other stuffed animals onto the rink.

The next day Calgary players hand-delivered the stuffed animals to the nearby Alberta Children's Hospital, according to the Calgary Metro.

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