Bizarre hockey brawl goes viral as the Grinch gets involved & fans throw teddy bears

During the annual teddy bear toss, a brawl broke out on the ice between members of the Ottawa 67’s and the Barrie Colts hockey teams – with even the Grinch joining the chaos.

On December 8, the Ottawa 67’s hosted their annual teddy bear toss during a game against the Barrie Colts. However, the heartwarming tradition took a chaotic turn when several on-ice fights erupted.

Fans packed TD Place Arena, bringing teddy bears to donate as part of the event. The toss was set to begin after Ottawa scored their first goal. Yet, it wasn’t until midway through the second period that Luca Pinelli fired a one-timer into the net, igniting the long-awaited celebration.

While the ice filled with flying teddy bears, tensions between the players boiled over, leading to multiple skirmishes that overshadowed the charitable gesture.

Brawl erupts during teddy bear toss

As fans began tossing teddy bears onto the ice, players from both hockey teams broke into a brawl, some exchanging punches while being pelted with soft toys. Even the Grinch got involved, walking around and putting his hands up as a referee held back Pinneli, who was jawing at Eliasson.

The Ontario Hockey League teams were then sent to their locker rooms briefly as the teddy bears were cleared from the ice, allowing the game to resume.

The brawl led to 10 penalties involving five players. Barrie’s Ben Eliasson and Dalyn Wakely, along with Ottawa’s Luca Pinelli and Brady Foster, were hit with misconduct and roughing penalties. Meanwhile, Colts captain Beau Jelsma escaped with just a minor penalty for roughing.

In addition to donating hundreds of teddy bears, fans at TD Place Arena have also been buying new bears from charity vendors, giving back during the festive season. All proceeds benefited the Children’s Miracle Network, which supports sick children at the CHEO Hospital in Ottawa.