2006 Gift Guide & Ideas for Hockey Fans

This is an updated version of the gift guide I created last year for hockey fans. If you have any suggestions on what could be added to this list, please leave a comment or send me an email!

DVDs
Aside from the recent classic, Miracle, here are some other movies that would be a great addition to any hockey fan’s collection.

–> Mystery Alaska: a movie starring Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, and Burt Reynolds. Cost: $10.99

Plot: This comedy is about the residents of a small town who get over-excited when their hockey team gets chosen to host a televised event. When Mystery, Alaska’s amateur hockey team accepts a challenge to play against the New York Rangers, the entire population must put their petty differences aside and pull together as their small town becomes the center of a nationally televised event.

–> Slapshot: A comedy featuring Paul Newman and Strother Martin. Cost: $8.99

Plot: A failing ice hockey team finds success using constant fighting and violence during games. The player-coach of a nowhere small town hockey team must deal with an intractable owner, hostile crowds and on-ice thuggery in this warm-hearted and only slightly farcical look at ice hockey.

–> Lord Stanley’s Cup: A NHL DVD that delves into the history of Lord Stanley’s Cup. Cost: $6.97

–> In the Crease: A youth hockey documentary that follows the California Wave Bantam AAA travel hockey team as they try to make it to nationals. The documentary also features interviews from star NHL players like Brendan Shanahan, Mathieu Schneider, Scott Gomez, Joe Thornton, Scott Niedermayer, Jeremy Roenick, Craig Conroy and Derian Hatcher as they talk about their youth hockey experiences. Cost: $25.00

–> Ultimate Gretzky: A 205 minute long 2 disc DVD featuring The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Cost: $26.99

–> Detroit Red Wings: As an owner of this amazing DVD, I highly suggest any Wings fan purchase this 4 disc set. It shows five games voted on by the fans (including “The Turtle”), highlights of their Stanley Cup wins, and history of the team. Cost: $44.98

–> Honor and Courage - Tough Guys of the NHL: An interesting DVD that takes an on the ice and off the ice look at the life of an enforcer. I believe ex-Wing Darren McCarty is one of the four individuals featured. Cost: $17.99

Books

–> The Game by Ken Dryden: Sports Illustrated named this book as the ninth best sports book of all time and the very best hockey book. Cost: $12.37

–> Ice Time: A Tale of Fathers, Sons, and Hometown Heroes by Jay Atkinson Cost: $11.16

–> The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL. I just read this book over Thanksgiving and I loved it! Cost: $15.61

–> Eleven Seconds by Travis Roy: This is one of my favorite books of all time and a very inspirational read as well. Travis Roy was a promising hockey player when he joined Boston University’s varsity team. Eleven seconds into his first shift, a freak accident happened paralyzing him from the neck down. The book covers his childhood, the accident, rehab, and life after hockey. Cost: $7.99

–> The Captain: A book published by the Detroit Free Press and composed of articles dating back from 1983, Yzerman’s first year in the league through his retirement in 2006. Cost: $10.17

–> What It Means to Be a Red Wing: Detroit’s Greatest Players Talk About Detroit Hockey, this book features stories from players about what it means to be a Detroit Red Wing. Cost: $18.45

–> Blood Feud: A book detailing the rise of the Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche rivalry. It is written by a Denver reporter so be warned. Cost: $11.53

–> Brodeur: Beyond the Crease - I have yet to read this book, but I have bought it and plan on reading it over Christmas break. Cost: $16.47

–> Between the Lines: Not-So-Tall Tales From Ray “Scampy” Scapinello’s Four Decades in the NHL details his experiences as a linesman in the NHL. Cost: $16.47

General Hockey Gift Ideas
If you can’t find these items in stores or are hoping to buy them a tad cheaper, be sure to check out eBay for all your hockey needs!

– Center Ice Package. I had it last year and it’s amazing that I can finally watch any game that’s being played and not just my Wings. I plan on buying it again next year when I have an apartment and I’m not living in the dorms. Cost: $150

– Hockey calendar. I personally love my Detroit Red Wings calendar which lists when all the games are as well as featuring 12 great photos of my favorite Wings players. You can find one at any of those Day by Day calendar stores that pop in malls this time of year as well as bookstores like Barnes and Nobles. Cost: $10-20

– Jersey (or Sweater for you Canadians). Pick out a jersey at NHL.com or Ice Jerseys of your favorite player or choose to customize your own. But please do us all a favor, and don’t buy anyone a pink hockey jersey. It’s just wrong (unless it’s supporting a charity like research for breast cancer for example). Cost: $160-250

– Hockey trading cards. My brothers used to be obsessed with collecting hockey trading cards, especially when they found game used jerseys or autographed cards in the pack. You can treat a hockey fan to a few packs or a whole wax box from the likes of Upper Deck.

– Memorabilia. Whether it’s a signed puck, photograph, etc, you’re sure to find the perfect item. Whenever I want a signed photograph that’s reasonably priced, I go to this person on eBay. High quality 8×10 photos for decent prices and quick shipping. I’ve bought at least 6 or 7 photos from this eBay store and have always received prompt shipping and been very satisfied with my purchases. Cost: Varies

– Bobbleheads. Most fans will enjoy a bobblehead or two featuring their favorite player. Others collect them. You can find a bobblehead in the likes ranging from Don Cherry to Steve Yzerman. Cost: $20-50

– Action figures. Similar to the bobbleheads, you can find McFarlane figures of your favorite players minus the head bobbling part. Cost: $10-40

– Tickets. Visit Ticketmaster or Stubhub to find tickets for your local or favorite team. Cost: Varies

– T-shirts. Whether you’re buying an NHL tee featuring a player or a custom shirt made courtesy of Cafepress.com, you’re sure to find a shirt to fit. For example, my friend bought me a t-shirt from CafePress that said, “I survived the 2004-2005 Hockey Lockout” similar to this one. Cost: Varies

– If they don’t have it already, buy them a subscription to The Hockey News for one year (42 issues). Cost: $51.48

Do you believe in Miracles?
For fans who cherish the 1980 US Olympic victory or want to learn more, buy them one of the following gifts.

– The Boys of Winter is an excellent book written by Wayne Coffey and it covers “the untold story of a coach, a dream, and the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team.” I wasn’t alive at that point in time, but this book made me feel like I really was there. Excellent read. Cost: $11.05 (paperback)

– HBO created an hourlong documentary featuring The Story of the 1980 US Hockey Team. Cost: $7.47

– If they don’t own it already, buy them the movie Miracle which was released in 2004. Cost: $10.99

Games

–> NHL 07 for Playstation 2 and XBox 360. Cost: $25.99 (PS2) and $54.99 (XBox 360)

–> NHL 2K7 for Playstation 2, XBox 360, and XBox. Cost: $19.82 (PS2 & XBox) and $39.99 (XBox 360)

–> Original 6 Monopoly: All 30 franchises are up for sale and you play it just like the original game. Cost: $39.99

Hockeytown Fans

–> Official online Red Wings shop

–> For the Red Wings superfan, buy them this set. You get three books — “Hang 10,” “Hockey Gods” and “Century of Champions,” a $49.95 coffee-table book about the 20th Century of Michigan sports. You also get front-page posters saluting the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup teams of 1997, 1998 and 2002. Cost: $59.95 I bought the 2002 front page poster from the Detroit Free Press and then framed it and it looks wonderful in my room. You can buy the posters separately for $7.95 a piece.

–> Customize your own locker room photo

–> Stiga NHL Stanley Cup Rod Hockey Table featuring the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

For everything else, visit the online NHL Catalog.

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Posted in: Features | | December 2006

2 Responses to “2006 Gift Guide & Ideas for Hockey Fans”

  1. Baroque Says:
    December 10th, 2006 at 6:52 pm

    A couple endorsements…

    The Boys of Winter was a fantastic book. I am normally a little nervous about sports books (they can so easily be poorly written, sentimental claptrap), but this book was excellent. Even if someone isn’t particularly interested in hockey, but has an interest in the history of the cold war period, it would be a good gift for them as well.

    Mystery, Alaska is a good movie as well. The ending is not typical Hollywood–I was watching it with a group, and a couple of them yelled “No!” at the end (not a depressing end, just a bit of a surprise).

    Another idea: The CBC ran a series called “Hockey: A People’s History” which was very similar in style to Burns’ baseball and Civil War series. Both the DVD set and a companion book are available on the CBC.ca website. I have the book on order, so haven’t seen it yet, but the series was excellent, with a lot of archival photos and footage.

  2. Frank Fitzgerald Says:
    December 11th, 2006 at 12:30 am

    Thanks for the great gift guide. Okay, I agree: I won’t buy a pink hockey jersey, unless it supports charity. But why not turn almost any of these gifts into charity supporters? How? By buying them through HEARTof.com, an online mall of over 670 stores — everything from Amazon.com to Zappos.com, with the NHL Shop in between — where all purchases earn donations for the charity, school or other worthy cause chosen by shoppers. And in case you were thinking piddling donation, you should know that they reach 75% of purchase prices, average 8.2% and are far bigger than you can find on similar sites.

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