It’s that time of year again. We’ve already passed Halloween which is the last major holiday holding the line against Christmas’s annual approach. Before long you won’t be able to go grocery shopping without hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You.” That means that it’s also time for people to start Christmas shopping, and if you’re looking for awesome gifts for hockey players or hockey fans in your life, you’re going to want to look at hockey gifts. But what about these happy hockey offerings that make them so grand?
Ask any hockey player or fan and they’ll tell you that a hockey gift will always be a grand slam. With enough cheer and splendor to safely send someone soaring satisfied with their sweet receipt of said rewarding gift. That’s certainly enough alliteration to get us into the holiday spirit, let’s look into why hockey-themed gifts are a good idea and also some ideas that you can use for that special hockey fan or player in your life. Hopefully, by the end of this article, we’ve at least managed to point you in the right direction.
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Why Hockey Related Gifts are Such a Good Idea
You may be wondering why getting that special someone hockey-related is the best idea, and the answer may or may not come as somewhat of a surprise to you. Hockey fans are known to be incredibly passionate about their sport. If you’ve even been around a group of hockey fans or even been to a hockey game, there’s a good chance that you’ve had the opportunity to experience this first hand. It’s really quite an incredible feeling to be up in the stands during a hockey game. The energy in the area is simply off the charts.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why capitalizing off of someone’s passion for the sport is a good idea for getting them a gift. By giving that hockey fan in your life a gift that shows that you really understand what they’re into, you give them a chance to see how well you really know and understand them. That kind of gift is a great way to create a bonding moment that will strengthen the relationship between the two of you and might even lead to some pleasant conversations after the fact.
The art of gift-giving is as old as humans, if not older. The fact that there are several species, such as cats, dolphins, and more, that give gifts, means that it could just be something that some living beings enjoy doing. That being said, human society has evolved a lot since we first appeared on the planet, so the ways that we give gifts, as well as the actual gifts themselves, are a lot different now than they were back then. Selecting a good gift can be challenging, but we’re here to help so maybe you can find the perfect gift for that special someone.
Great Ideas for Gifts for Hockey Fans
We’re going to separate this into two separate sections, gifts for fans and gifts for hockey players. Someone can be both, and very often hockey players are also fans because their passion for watching the sport is what got them into playing. It’s still good to separate the two sections to make it a little easier for you to decide what is best for the person that you’re shopping for. As far as gifts for hockey fans, you have many different options so it’s not too difficult to find something good.
Before getting too deep into this section, it’s important to note that you should do your best to find out what team the person you’re shopping for likes. That’s usually pretty easy information to get, but it makes a huge difference. Now, as far as the actual gifts that you can get the hockey fan in your life, getting some merch is never a bad idea. Sweaters, hats, and t-shirts are usually pretty popular with hockey fans because it gives them a chance to show off their team spirit year-round, whether they’re currently at a game or not.
Jerseys are also almost never a bad idea, especially if you can get a jersey with the name and number of their favorite player. Such a gift would certainly be a hit with that hockey fan in your life. You can even find retro jerseys with their favorite player’s name from a team they used to be on, which is exceptionally nice for super fans in general. These things are pretty easy to find and the NHL actually sells a lot of official merchandise right on their website, which makes it incredibly simple to find. All you have to do is search through their website for jerseys.
Another thing that is huge in the world of sports is collectibles, and there is definitely no shortage of hockey collectibles. Everything from signed pucks, sticks, and jerseys to just official team pucks can be found with varying levels of ease. If you decide to go this route, be warned beforehand that the world of collectibles can get pretty expensive depending on what you’re looking at. If you want something that’s going to have more stable pricing, definitely just stick with finding regular clothing. Those have a much higher chance of not coming with an incredibly high price tag.
Great Gifts for Hockey Players
The hockey players in your life need a little love during the holiday season, too. The best way to do that is to give them gifts that can help them train when the cold months have left them and the concept of frozen over lakes or ponds is nothing more than a faint memory. There are a lot of gifts that you can get in this category, as well, and many of them are likely to leave them feeling well thought of and ready to tackle training all year-round.
The first thing you could look for are pucks that are designed to be used on all terrains. That will make playing street hockey a lot easier, but can also help them get their stick handling exercises in more easily. Stickhandling is one of the most important skills to have in hockey because it allows them to make sure that they’re able to effectively and efficiently get the puck where it needs to be at any given moment. By practicing this in the off-seasons, they can be sure that they aren’t rusty when they play in their next big game.
You could also try looking into other little things that can help with the same kind of training. In fact, nowadays they make these small balls that are weighted a lot like hockey pucks and can give a similar feeling to hitting a puck on the ice. This can help with a lot of the same things as all-terrain hockey pucks but with the added bonus of providing a closer match to the feeling of what it’s like on ice. These kinds of training tools help a lot more than one may realize at first, and they’re sure to get a smile on that hockey player’s face.
Things like hockey stick weights are also useful. By weighing down the hockey stick, it requires more strength to be able to move around effectively. That means that not only are they able to use this to get stronger, but they can potentially be able to move a whole lot faster when they take the weight off of their stick and play for real. This can easily be combined with the last two things that we looked at to create an even more intensive training session even in the sweltering heat of the summer.
Lastly, if it’s within your budget you could look into getting them some hockey tiles. You can find this either as hockey flooring or synthetic ice. Both of these are designed to help with training when ice simply isn’t a valid option. Each type of hockey tile can be set up pretty much anywhere, and if you get something that’s weatherproof it can even be set up in the backyard and just left there no matter the weather. These tiles provide hockey players with even more high-quality training opportunities that they could not have because of the weather once winter passes by.
Giving the Gifts that Keep On Giving
When someone gives another person a gift, they usually hope that the person they give it to will actually get some use out of it. By giving a hockey fan or player something that allows them to enjoy their sport even more than they already did, you can be sure that they’ll use it. All hockey fans already enjoy their sport as is, but being able to improve upon their skills or even just add upon the already existing comradery they feel with other fans is something that they’re likely to feel grateful for.