Gifts for a Hockey Coach

Hockey coaches put in many hours for their teams during games, practices, planning sessions and coaches’ meetings. They also spend considerable time away from their families, especially when coaching a traveling team. Winning coaches have trophies and plaques to show off, but it’s always welcome and respectful to show your team’s coaches how much you appreciate their hard work by choosing just the right gift.

  1. Team Photo Gifts

    • Every team has at least one parent who loves to use a camera. Have the “picture parent” take photos throughout the season, making certain that every member of the team is in at least one individual action shot. Have the photos printed at a local photo processing department if you plan to put them into a photo album or artsy scrapbook. Or work with the photo processing department to have a photo book made of the team; these are quite popular but do sometimes take a week or so printing time. You can also mount the photos in a creative manner and frame it. Having the team members autograph the photos of themselves, regardless of the project you choose, makes the gift even more memorable and special.

    Commemorative Quilts or Blankets

    • Quilts and blankets make appropriate hockey coach gifts as they’re perfect for the coach to take to future games to stay warm. Hand-sewn quilts require considerably more work than most gifts, but if there is a mom with the team who knows how to sew, quilts are very thoughtful. They’re especially perfect if the team has been together for many years and are aging up or are graduating from school and won’t be playing together anymore. Print a photo of each player onto fabric, then turn each photo into a quilt square. You’ll want to use team colors and even hockey-themed fabric. For an easier solution, but one that is also special, have a nice blanket embroidered with the team name and mascot, the year(s) the blanket is commemorating and a message of thanks or something as simple as “Go Team!”

    Personalized Gift Cards

    • Everyone loves to receive a gift card. These are the simplest of gifts to pick up as you can buy them in whatever denomination you want to spend. Check with the coaches’ wives to learn what their favorite stores are before buying the cards. You may also choose a restaurant gift card the coach can use to take the family out for a nice dinner. Think of a different way to wrap it, too. Instead of just putting the gift card inside an envelope, tie it to a miniature hockey stick that the whole team has signed. Or attach the card to a plastic display case in which you’ve enclosed a puck from the team’s last game and had all the players sign it with a silver permanent marker.

    Edible Gifts

    • Sweets and other treats always make good gifts. Pay attention to the type of snacks the coach likes best and put together a gift basket containing his favorite sodas, salty and sweet snacks and maybe even a hockey-related movie like “Slap Shot,” “Miracle” or “The Mighty Ducks.” Cookie bouquets are also fun coach gifts when you opt for cookies shaped like pucks and hockey sticks combined with a team mascot or even cookies that say “Go Team!” and other sayings.