Well, the snow is flying, the Blue Jackets are already out of the playoffs, and malls everywhere are pumping the Christmas tunes (ugh, The Little Drummer Boy, don’t get me started…) — That’s right, the Holidays are here.
If you’re banging your head against the wall trying to figure out what to get that hockey fan in your life, rest easy, because I’ve compiled a list of great gift ideas for the die-hard hockey lover on your holiday shopping list.
Great gift ideas for hockey fans
Hockey fans are some of the easiest people to buy gifts for during the holiday season. Their voracious appetite for anything even remotely hockey related makes them easy to please.
To the outsider it may seem strange, and a bit of a cop out to give someone a five-dollar keychain with an NHL team logo on it, but it’s not. I grew up an Oilers fan, and I remember how every Christmas my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles would send me toques, toothbrushes, and anything else bearing the Oilers insignia. I loved it all, and I still have a lot of those trinkets to this day.
So, trust me, you can’t go wrong with any of these hockey gifts.
Pro Hockey Jerseys
This one’s pretty obvious, but true hockey fans will always appreciate a pro hockey jersey customized with their favorite player’s name and number. There are some significant differences between pro jerseys and retail replicas, and real fans love the quality and detail found only on the on-ice version of their squad’s sweater. Not only that, but some pro jerseys have hidden easter eggs in them that retail jerseys lack, which is a nice treat.
Pro jerseys are wearable art and are always at the top of a superfan’s wishlist.
When in doubt, grabbing that special hockey fan in your life a nice, authentic jersey is always the right move.
A very Oily holiday!
Outerwear
It’s getting cold outside, and that means fans in colder climates have to cover up their custom hockey jerseys with clunky winter coats. Boo!
Solution: team coats, toques, mittens, boots, scarfs, and earmuffs.
Your hockey-crazy bud will be pleased as Punch Imlach to be able to show off their allegiances in sub-zero temperatures. As a kid, I remember proudly trudging to school in my Oilers branded snow pants, thinking to myself “this is definitely how Gretzky dresses for this weather.”
Glassware
When it comes to glassware, team branded stuff is always a safe bet, especially commemorative Stanley Cup championship mugs and shot glasses. And with glassware, you can even venture beyond team loyalties if you’re clever enough.
A friend of mine used to have a Paul Coffey mug for his morning java and a Bob Beers pint glass for game nights, despite being a rabid Winnipeg Jets fan.
Cups are cups, regardless of the team you’re gifted!
The staple of every Canadian’s childhood- we all had a bucket of mini sticks in our childhood homes somewhere!
Mini Sticks
There isn’t a hockey fan alive who doesn’t love a good mini hockey stick. Give a 45 year old man a mini stick and he’ll devolve back to an 11 year old playing basement hockey against his older brothers.
In my opinion, the old wooden mini sticks are the best. The plastic ones are fine, too, but the urge to curve the blade over the stove can be overpowering.
Dog and baby clothes
Once a hockey fan’s basic needs have been taken care of, they can start forcing their fanship on their children and dogs.
Team branded dog harnesses and dog booties are a great idea for the hockey obsessed dog mom and dad.
For parents of humans, tiny jerseys, rompers, and tee shirts will help speed the indoctrination process along nicely.
Baby-sized Oilers romper? Puppy-sized Sens jersey? These are the holiday present essentials.
Jerseys, skates and helmets are great game-worn gifts. If you are looking for something a little more wallet-friendly, signed pucks are a great alternative.
Game-Worn paraphernalia
As with most obsessions, hockey fandom eventually leads to collecting sweaty used garments from the strangers that you watch from afar, sometimes through binoculars. Game worn equipment will scratch any collector’s itch; especially gloves, helmets, sticks, and skates. These items are one-of-a-kind pieces of hockey history, and a window into bygone eras.
Maybe stay away from jock straps.
Anything and everything else!
The truth is, if there’s a team logo on it, a fan will want it, whether it’s a canoe, a candle, or a can of beans. I got all sorts of Oilers items for Christmas when I was a kid, like this Gretzky doll (no, that’s NOT an action figure) and this matchbox car with the Oilers logo emblazoned on the hood. Finding a place for these strange items in my life was never a problem.
Believe me, no fan will be disappointed by anything with their team’s logo on it. In fact, sometimes the weirder the item is, the better.
All aboard the Gretzkymobile!
building a fan den, one holiday at a time.
Ever watch a hockey game at a friend’s place only to find that their basement looks like the friggin’ Hockey Hall of Fame, with pennants, jerseys, bobbleheads, and sticks from floor to ceiling? You know the kind. They’ve got Sidney Crosby’s gym socks displayed over the bar, and a framed napkin signed by Wayne Gretzky’s aunt next to the beer fridge. Where do they get all this stuff?
These (wo)man caves weren’t built in a day. They were built little by little, Christmas after Christmas, birthday after birthday, as family and friends sent along anything and everything with your pal’s favourite hockey team logo on it. It’s like an education fund that matures when the kid turns 18, but cooler. So, don’t be shy about buying those Senators slippers or Avalanche ankle weights for the hockey fan in your family.
As a jersey collector and certifiably insane hockey fan, I cherish all the crazy “junk” I’ve been gifted over the years, and I hope that you will, too. Please sign up for the 4 Shots with Keener newsletter, so I can share all of my hot takes on hockey and hockey culture in the coming new year.
2024 is going to be great, and I’m planning on being more opinionated than ever.
