Disclaimer: Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of these items, their manufacturers, or their retailers. This list is just intended to inspire Habs fans during the giving season. I do not have these available for sale, so do not contact me for that purpose.
Does the Habs fan you have in mind already have everything? Well if he/she is as much of a completionist as I am, then he/she will definitely want some items related to the newest member of the team, regardless of what they thought of the deal that brought Kaberle to town.
If watching movies as a family isn't your style, perhaps you'd rather spend your holidy get-togethers playing games. Well fear not, because even here, the Habs have you covered! Pick your flavour: there's Canadiens Yahtzee, Centennial Edition Monopoly, Montreal Canadiens playing cards, Canadiens' rubik's cubes, and more! Available at the Bell Centre boutique, and many toy and game shops around the city, as well through most online retailers.
Is there a Habs fan in your life that you want to do something extra special for this Christmas? Then why not do something different and plan a weekend getaway to the city of Hamilton, Ontario for the weekend of January 20th-22nd. The Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL affiliate of your Montreal Canadiens, will host their arch rival Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) in an outdoor game at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Plenty of tickets remain available via Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1000473EB8117DF7?artistid=806495&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9), and details can be found on the event's website here: http://outdoorclassic.ca/. Though the Bulldogs don't have anywhere near a "stacked" roster this season and boast few legitimate top Hab prospects, it should be a fun weekend of festivities, which include an AHL alumni game.
10) Tomas Kaberle Collectibles
Does the Habs fan you have in mind already have everything? Well if he/she is as much of a completionist as I am, then he/she will definitely want some items related to the newest member of the team, regardless of what they thought of the deal that brought Kaberle to town. Beyond the obvious jerseys, pucks, and hockey cards, there are a couple of more niche items, such as the McFarlane exclusive figure pictured at left, and a bobblehead issued as a Toronto Marlies stadium giveaway during the 2008-09 season. With two years left on his deal and a significant amount of money still owed to him, Kaberle is likely here to stay for now, so these gift ideas should remain relevant for a while!
9) Pour Toujours Les Canadiens on DVD
If your intended recipient is a sap for cheesy sports movies, and/or if he/she misses the days of Saku Koivu captaining the Canadiens, then this movie is a great stocking stuffer and a good, light holiday watch. Now about two years old, it has recently been spotted in discount bins at Wal-Mart and other retailers, so pick it up to spend some time with the family in front of the television. The movie is in French only, but English subtitles are available.
The acting is nothing special and the plotline is hole-riddled at best, but it is based around a heartwarming story with lessons learned along the way, and comes so very close to giving Habs fans a fairytale ending they never got to see in real life.
8) Montreal Canadiens Edition Board Games
If watching movies as a family isn't your style, perhaps you'd rather spend your holidy get-togethers playing games. Well fear not, because even here, the Habs have you covered! Pick your flavour: there's Canadiens Yahtzee, Centennial Edition Monopoly, Montreal Canadiens playing cards, Canadiens' rubik's cubes, and more! Available at the Bell Centre boutique, and many toy and game shops around the city, as well through most online retailers.7) Plan a Trip to the Steeltown Showdown
Is there a Habs fan in your life that you want to do something extra special for this Christmas? Then why not do something different and plan a weekend getaway to the city of Hamilton, Ontario for the weekend of January 20th-22nd. The Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL affiliate of your Montreal Canadiens, will host their arch rival Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) in an outdoor game at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Plenty of tickets remain available via Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1000473EB8117DF7?artistid=806495&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=9), and details can be found on the event's website here: http://outdoorclassic.ca/. Though the Bulldogs don't have anywhere near a "stacked" roster this season and boast few legitimate top Hab prospects, it should be a fun weekend of festivities, which include an AHL alumni game.6) La Capsule Sportive Country Player T-Shirts
Player "jersey-style" t-shirts are popular items with Habs fans, and retailer La Capsule Sportive (http://www.lacapsulesportive.com/) has their latest incarnation, which also include number colouring and a flag for the player's country of birth.
5) Canadiens Bobbleheads
Forever Collectibles produced three bobbleheads of Canadiens players for the 2011-12 season. While the pieces of Tomas Plekanec (which was misproduced with a C on his chest), Brian Gionta, and Mike Cammalleri bare little resemblance to their real life personas, they still make nice shelf-sitters for the room of any diehard Hab follower. Sold from a number of online vendors, so Google away to find the best deal!
Of course, plenty of older bobbles exist as well, so check out my Habs Project site for a complete list of what you might find if your special someone has another favourite player.
4) Chairs R Us Jersey Chairs
If your budget is a little bigger, these custom-made soft seats make wonderful conversation pieces for your Man Cave, basement, or bachelor pad. I've seen a bunch of them in person, and the photos on their website (found here: http://www.chairsrus.ca/category/hockey-chairs/) don't come close to doing them justice. The only Canadiens samples on their site are pretty basic / non-spectacular P.K. Subban, Mike Cammalleri, Maurice Richard, and Guy Lafleur models, but here are some non-Hab examples from their site as well to show you the kind of requests you can make:
3) Habs Tickets
This one only comes in at #3 because it's kind of obvious. But tickets, particularly for the best games, can be tough to come by without paying a premium. Fortunately, the Canadiens have a monthly on-sale day where they release some more seats for games in the following month. There will be tickets made available for the 8 home games of January on Thursday, December 15th, at 10:00 AM (http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=56633).
Nothing beats the experience of attending a live game at the Bell Centre for a Hab fan. Why not
add a little something extra by complimenting it with a pair of passes to the Canadiens Hall of Fame (at the Bell Centre) as well? When you have a ticket to that night's game, it's only $5.50 per person to get in! (http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=59997)
2) Bleacher Creatures 14-inch Plush Dolls
Series two of this new and popular line began hitting stores last week, just in time for the Christmas rush. Fortunately for Habs fans, the series included 14-inch plush Carey Price, Mike Cammalleri, and P.K. Subban. With a retail price between $20 and $25, these are sure to be big sellers, and are actually of pretty high quality. Available at a number of online retailers as well as at the Bell Centre (though I'm not sure when they will get them in), I think the likenesses are quite good, but you be the judge below!
1) The Goal Light
What Hab fan doesn't want to celebrate every goal the Canadiens score in style?! (especially when the team goes through phases - as it does - where it seems like they have to work extra hard to put a puck in the net)
This new addition to the popular Goal Light product line sells for about $45 and comes pre-programmed with the goal horn of each Canadian team. It is activated via a wireless remote control, and can be plugged into an external stereo system so that, with surround sound, you can feel like you're right in the middle of the action! Sold at a number of retailers, including the NHL.com shop here: http://shop.nhl.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12239974&cp=&clickid=body_bestsell_txt.
The blog's author, 
No comments:
Post a Comment