I told her I wanted a giant teddy bear, and so she set out to find one that would qualify as "giant." Much to my parents' disappointment, she found a 5-foot bear.

The cub sleeps on and hides under one of the larger teddy bears, which Welch thinks he sees as his mother. “This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort,” Welch said.

When completed — all tossed on cue — the Ice Flyers had collected 1,077 of the toy stuffed animals from the annual Teddy Bear Toss during the Ice Flyers game against the Columbus Cottonmouths.

“This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort,” Welch said. “When we were not there, he would seek shelter by her, go rest against her, take naps all cuddled up with the ...