NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers Oasiz Wiesblatt, Cayden Lindstrom, Rhett Parsons, Dru Krebs and Tyler MacKenzie pose with Walter during his physio work Wednesday afternoon at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital during their teddy bear distribution.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Five Medicine Hat Tigers were able to experience an annual, memorable tradition.
The Tigers’ leadership group of captain Tyler MacKenzie, assistants Rhett Parsons, Dru Krebs and Oasiz Wiesblatt, as well as forward Cayden Lindstrom, handed out teddy bears from Saturday’s Teddy Bear Toss game to newborns, children and seniors at the Medicine Hat Hospital and to the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund on Monday.
It was a first-time experience for Wiesblatt and Lindstrom, the latter scoring the ‘Teddy Bear Toss goal’ 1:14 into a 6-2 win Saturday over the Prince Albert Raiders. Lindstrom’s goal triggered the release of 2,144 bears and 1,409 toques, mitts and socks from the stands.
Wiesblatt was all smiles throughout the hospital trip and says he enjoyed the experience more than he knew he would.
“It was really cool to kind of see everyone’s faces and put some light into their day,” Wiesblatt said.
All five players were excited to be there distributing bears and meeting people of all ages, some not knowing who they were while others had been following the Tigers for years, attending games or listening on the radio. There were frequent stops at older residents’ rooms that divulged into extended chats about the season so far, where each player was from and their expectations for the season.
Wednesday’s trip was the second for MacKenzie, his first as captain, and was a day he says he’s looked forward to since last year’s experience. While they didn’t get to visit with a baby who had been born within the hour like the previous year, MacKenzie says everyone was welcoming.
“It just speaks volumes to what kind of community Medicine Hat is and the people here, it’s unreal,” MacKenzie said. “They’re all welcoming, between doctors, nurses, patients, volunteers, everyone was just so including and welcoming for us, it was awesome.”
While on a floor meeting with fans and distributing bears, the Tigers were told a man was waiting for them in the floor’s cafeteria. Because of those extended chats, he moved into his daily physical therapy where his five new favourite Tabbies met him between reps of tackling stairs one at a time.
The Tigers met Walter, who told them he hadn’t been to Co-op Place yet but was looking forward to the day he made it there after watching at The Arena for many years.
“Walter was a great guy, he was doing stairs and was pretty pumped,” MacKenzie said. “He has to get a chance to come down and see the rink, so we should get him down sometime.”
The rest of the bears not handed out or left at the hospital and the winter items will be donated to the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund, Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society and the Salvation Army.
On Tuesday, the Tigers were at Ralston for their annual skate with families at CFB Suffield, playing shinny and skating with young fans. Both are just a couple of events the Tigers have held in an organizational effort to be in the community more and to interact with fans after years of separation due to COVID-19.
Besides putting pucks in the back of the net, winning a championship or signing a pro contract, that community involvement and impact is a top priority for Wiesblatt.
“A lot of families and a lot of people go through some rough stuff and you don’t even really know about it,” Wiesblatt said. “So for us to bring happiness or just some sort of light to their day, their week or maybe their year, anything helps. It feels really good for us as a team to kind of give back to the community.”
