Every year in December, the Brandon Wheat Kings host their Teddy Bear Toss on a Home Game - a favorite for the players and the fans - and that game is this week Saturday against the Moose Jaw Warriors!

Director of Game Day Ops, Chris Falko, says this is one of the biggest home games of the year!  "Everyone loves this one for obvious reasons.  People love coming together and they have fun and help give back!!"

Committee members and volunteers of the Westman Traditional Christmas Dinner and Brandon Christmas Cheer will be helping the Wheat Kings and staff collect all the donations.  As well, Wawanesa Insurance will be collecting non-perishable food times for their food drive.

"So, people can bring donations of any kind," explains Falko. "Between the three groups, if it's non-perishable food items, or warm clothing, or teddy bears, or unwrapped gifts, whatever it is, there is going to be someone this holiday season who can use it!"

"But of course, the big thing that night is the toss on the ice!" he adds.

The fans and the players anticipate who is going to make that first goal to prompt the tossing of the teddies onto the ice!  No doubt there will be lots of shots on goal as the Wheaties attempt to sink the puck in the net!

"When the Wheat Kings score their first goal of the game, all those soft things like the teddies, the touques and the mitts, they can litter the ice and then we'll collect them all up!"

Chris Falko says the items get dispersed through the three different organizations. "As well, we always put some of those teddy bears aside and bring them to the children's wing of the Brandon hospital. That's something that we've always done," he explains. "We have a great relationship with them. Luckily there are some years where we don't have anybody in the children's ward here, but unfortunately most years there are at least who love a visit from us. So, we always take a few players and our loveable mascot, Willie, and we go and make a visit and we drop off some of the donations there."

"Again, to try and help spread the holiday cheer, and we make sure the donations get spread out as much as we can around the entire area."

And that won't be a problem as they average 2000 plus teddy bears each year.  Even when they couldn't play due to covid closures the Wheat Kings team members and management did drive-by's throughout the wheat city and collected over 600 stuffies!

"There are literally thousands, THOUSANDS of bears that litter the ice after the goal," adds Falko.  "It's awesome!"

Falko reminds us that these young warriors love to share their peak performance in front of their own, and with a 6-game winning streak this promises to be a high energy game.  "Our record has been phenomenal on home ice, so doing that in front of a big crowd, that gets the guys even more fired up!"

When the Wheat King's beloved mascot, Willie, recently celebrated his birthday the arena was pumped with energy and Falko says this upcoming Saturday night game will be all of that and more!

"This will be one of the most fun times you can have at a Wheat Kings game all year," says Falko. "If you're talking about the BIG 4, this one is one of them. So, we'd really love everyone to come out this Saturday!"

PLEASE listen to more with Chris Falko below!  It will inspire you to purchase your teddy bears, mitts and touques and pass on the Christmas JOY!

Doors open at 6 pm, and the puck drops at 7 pm!

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