VIDEO: Blimp catches nearly 3,000 tossed teddy bears at Kamloops Blazers game

The Kamloops Blazers held their annual teddy bear toss this past weekend, a tradition that stretches back to the early '90s.

One thing they didn't have back then was blimp footage of the moment.

But the 2019 version does.

Mark Betuzzi has uploaded footage from the Nov. 30 game with a unique angle: stuffed animals raining down on the players.

Tim O'Donovan, director of hockey operations for the Kamloops Blazers, says 2,868 plush toys were donated during Saturday night's game.

(In case you were wondering, the Blazers beat the Portland Winterhawks 4-1.) 

Additionally, 655 articles of winter clothing were donated, including toques, scarves and pairs of gloves. 

O'Donovan says this year was higher than last year, in terms of the number of teddy bears.

"It was a good success this year," he tells KamloopsMatters. 

All the stuffed animals stick around the Kamloops area.

"They go to a lot of different local places; the hospital, the Hamlets were here today," O'Donovan says.

The annual event, which started in the Tournament Capital in 1993, has spread across the continent. Hershey, Pennsylvania collected 45,000 teddy bears this year.

For a more traditional view of the local toss, check out the video below from the WHL.