Tampa Bay Lightning: Top 10 Last Minute Christmas Gifts For Bolts Fans

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

The Christmas season is almost over. If you’re still looking for something for your favorite Tampa Bay Lightning fan, here’s a look at the Top 10 Last Minute Christmas Gifts for any Bolts fan.

It’s Christmastime here in the Bolts Nation! While the Sunshine State isn’t exactly known for snowstorms and frozen ponds, it doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of people here who love to watch two teams fight it out on the ice. This is where the Tampa Bay Lightning comes into play.

Living here in the heart of the Sunshine State, it’s pretty hard to not have at least a Tampa Bay Lightning fan or two on your Christmas list. Now that we are just one day away from the big day, if there is anyone left on your list, you are undoubtedly searching for the perfect gift with post haste.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning /

Tampa Bay Lightning

Anyone who has ever tried to find a Christmas gift for someone with just one day left before Christmas knows the malls are packed, parking is a pain in the you know what, and don’t even get us started on the insane amount of traffic.

About the only way to get through this raging firestorm, or snowstorm should you find yourself a bit north of the Sunshine State, is to know exactly what you’re looking for and where to find it. Ironically enough, this is something we can help with.

There are plenty of things available for everyone from the casual Tampa Bay Lightning fan all the way to the most diehard of fans. All you have to know is what tickles their hockey fan fancy. This…is where we come in.

Over the course of the next couple of pages, we are going to take a closer look at the Top 10 Last Minute Gifts for Tampa Bay Lightning fans. Hopefully, we can be of a little assistance in this crazy time and help you spread some Christmas cheer to those you love, be it your friends or family.

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10. The Littlest Lightning Fans

One of the only things better than a Tampa Bay Lightning fan is a Tampa Bay Lightning fan in the making. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the perfect thing for your little bundle of joy when Santa Clause comes calling at the end of December.

At this stage in the game, your little one will probably be thrilled with just about anything you give them. However, you being the amazing parents you are want to give your baby boy or girl something they can remember for a lifetime.

Well, why not give them something they can build on throughout the years…a love of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The good news is, the Tampa Bay Lightning have plenty of options to make your baby’s Christmas morning a memorable one.

Third Logo Onesie

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $19.99

Above you can see a Tampa Bay Lightning Third Logo Onesie. Much like the third logo jersey many adult Lightning fans own, this one is the perfect size for your favorite little girl or boy. While there may be no number one on the Lightning roster, there is no doubt the person wearing this is number one in your heart.

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“I Drool Blue & White” Bib

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $9.99

Next, we have a Tampa Bay Lightning bib that says “I Drool Blue & White.” While Tampa Bay Lightning fans like us are inclined to say we “Bleed Lightning Blue,” the thought of putting blood and a child in the same sentence, even hypothetically, is a little creepy.

Of course, the littlest of Lightning fans have a propensity for drooling at the most inconvenient of times; especially when they are supposed to be eating dinner. That’s what makes this one of the best presents for the littlest of Lightning fans.

It’s cute and practical all at the same time. This is definitely a win/win for Mom and Dad.

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Rookie Season Onesie

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $19.99

While the Rookie Season Onesie may not resemble the Lightning jersey Mommy and Daddy wear to the game, it has definitely earned its place in your little one’s wardrobe. Unlike the Third Logo Onesie, this beauty comes in Lightning Blue. Crossed over the Lightning logo are two little hockey sticks.

The best way to cultivate a love of hockey in your little one is to start early. Why not get ahead of the game and get started before they can even learn to skate?

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ThunderBug Doll

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $20.00

This brings us to one of our favorite items on the list, a little version of our favorite NHL Mascot, ThunderBug. Needless to say, this little gem is perfect for just about any little Lightning fan, and some bigger Lightning fans like us, who are looking for the perfect thing to go to sleep at night with or put on their shelf.

Now, this particular selection gives you two different options. The smaller of the two options will run you $20 at the Tampa Bay Sports Store. If you’re looking for something slightly larger, there is a larger option that runs around $35 at the very same place.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for the Littlest of Lightning fans. The only thing left is for you to decide which one best fits the needs of the little bundle(s) of joy in your life.

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9. Both In Game And At Home

Tampa Bay Lightning Foam Finger

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $9.99

There are some people who enjoy the finer things in life like jerseys, watches, and things like that. Then, there are some of us who would love nothing more than to receive some of the simpler things in life. What could be simpler than a foam expression of your love for your favorite team?

Ok…so it’s not the most sophisticated gift you could give this holiday season, but everyone loves something they can continue to bring with them to the arena and use over and over again. Sure, it may be geared towards the younger variety of fans, but let’s be real…there’s a little bit of the young Lightning fan in all of us.

While this may not be your sole gift to your loved one this holiday season, but it will certainly make a welcome addition to your loved one’s over-sized Christmas stocking.

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Tampa Bay Lightning Garden Gnome

Tampa Bay Sports Store – Price Unknown

There are many people in the Bolts Nation who would love to put their love of the Tampa Bay Lightning on display for everyone to see. Unfortunately, other than flags, banners, stickers, and license plate covers, there aren’t a lot of options for outside the home.

Of course, there is one epic option that definitely has a place in any Lightning fan’s garden…the Tampa Bay Lightning Team Gnome. Yeah…garden gnomes can be somewhat of a niche item, but let’s be real…how many people can say they have a gnome in their garden of their favorite team?

Ok, so there are probably quite a few out there in the world, but we all know the Lightning gnome is a step above the rest; especially when you bleed blue for the Tampa Bay Lightning. But seriously, just look at this little guy…isn’t he adorable?

Unfortunately, this is the one item we failed to get a price on. It seems this item is exclusive to the Tampa Bay Sports Store and is not available online. We know…we fail.

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8. Lightning At The Beach

Tampa Bay Lightning Beach Towel

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $19.99

As we mentioned before, the State of Florida has never been known for its frozen ponds, blizzards, snow storms, or particularly cold days. At the same time, what Florida lacks in terms of cold days and frozen activities, it makes up for in waves, warm breezes, and white sand beaches.

In fact, the Tampa Bay area, in particular, has some of the best beaches in the nation. Why wouldn’t someone want to go spend the day in paradise surrounded by the calming sound of waves crashing as they reach the shore and basking in the Florida sun?

If you’re a Tampa Bay Lightning fan and looking forward to a day at the beach, we have the absolute perfect gift for you or your loved one. Take your love of the Tampa Bay Lightning to the beach with you by bringing along a Lightning beach towel.

Now, there are a couple of options when it comes to this particular item. The towel you see pictured above is available at the Tampa Bay Sports Store at the Amalie Arena. Unfortunately, we failed (once again) to obtain the price on this particular item. (Forgive us, it was a busy game night.)

However, there is a similar design available online in the NHL Shop that runs about $19.99. You can more than likely expect to pay near this price for the one at the arena. The bonus to getting the item at the Tampa Bay Sports Store at the arena is if you are a Season Ticket Member, you can use your discount and get more bang for your buck.

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7. Around The House

Tampa Bay Lightning Fuzzy Socks

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $17.99

This next item may be something for the Tampa Bay Lightning loving lady in your life; however, we would most certainly not knock any guy for loving the next item on our list. Heck, everyone loves to be comfortable, right?

Those of us here in the Bolts Nation may not get snowfall, but there are some nights where temperatures get pretty chilly. We don’t know about you, but the very first place on our bodies that turn to ice are our feet. This is where a pair of high-quality socks comes into play.

Why wouldn’t any Lightning fan want to incorporate their love for the Bolts into a pair of epically comfortable, foot warming, socks? The good news for Lightning fans is, there is no shortage of options in this particular category.

In addition to the design you see featured above, there are a couple different design options to choose from, but they are all equally comfortable and essentially equally awesome. Also, they aren’t what one would call ridiculously expensive, so they can be paired with any number of other items to make your friends and families Christmas just a little bit brighter.

As a bonus, they are compact and lightweight, so whether you plan to use this as your main gift or as a stocking stuffer, it fits in wherever needed.

Now, while prices may vary depending on the size and/or design you desire, but the ones pictured above can be found at the Tampa Bay Sports Store for $17.99.

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6. Socially Acceptable

Tampa Bay Lightning Hashtag Shirts

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $29.99

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last couple of years, or simply haven’t delved deep into the realm of social media, there is a good chance you have been on Twitter at some point in your life. If you have been on Twitter, you are undoubtedly familiar with the Hashtag.

Well, as some Tampa Bay Lightning fans are already well aware, the Bolts have put these to very good use and created a series of t-shirts with some of the fans’ favorite players put into Hashtag form. As you can see above, the term #BishPlease has become commonly used to describe Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop.

Then, of course, you have the Hashtag #HowSwedeItIts representing Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. This brings us to the ever-popular #HowYouDrouin, which is for – you guessed it – Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin.

These examples are only the beginning of the Hashtag shirts that are available. There’s also #StraightOuttaHarvard for Lightning forward Alex Killorn, #HollaAtYaBoyle for Brian Boyle, #JohnnyBGood for Tyler Johnson, #WhosYourVladdy for Vladislav Namestnikov, and many more.

Unlike some of the other items on our list, these will run you a little bit more financially. The Hashtag Shirts are available at the Tampa Bay Sports Store at the Amalie Arena, and they will run you around $29.99 each.

On the bright side, as we mentioned previously, the perk of getting them at the arena is your ability to take advantage of your Season Ticket Member discounts, which are not available online or at the location in International Plaza.

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5. For The Special Lightning Lady In Your Life

Tampa Bay Lightning Women’s Apparel

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $49.99 – $59.99

Some people seem to think hockey is a male-dominated sport. While there are no females currently playing in the National Hockey League, this doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of females who are diehard hockey fans and bleed blue for the Tampa Bay Lightning just as much, if not more, than their male counterparts.

Obviously, if you are blessed enough to have one of these aforementioned hockey-loving ladies in your life, it would stand to reason you would want to get them something for the holidays that accentuates their particular taste. This is where the Lightning’s women’s apparel comes into play.

Now, the long-sleeved logo shirt featured above is one of our favorites. It’s absolutely adorable while not being forced to sacrifice style for comfort. However, there are multitudes of options available at the Tampa Bay Sports Store that could be perfect for the special Lightning lady in your life.

There are all kinds of designs and sizes. Unfortunately, the one thing the team store seems to be lacking in is tank tops. You could think that being a Florida-based team there would be a multitude of tank tops and strapless options. Alas, this is not the case. Hopefully, something they will further explore in the future.

As we mentioned before, as we climb the list, the items begin to get slightly more expensive. When you get into the more stylized apparel, which a good portion of the ladies wear is considered, the price tends to climb a little. A little number like the one pictured above could run you in between $49.99 – $59.99.

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4. Hockey Fights Cancer

Hockey Fights Cancer Tie & Pocket Square

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $75.00

We have already taken a look at some merchandise for the special Tampa Bay Lightning loving lady in your life. Now, let’s take a closer look at something more for the Lightning loving fella in your life. At the same time, you’ll get to support a great cause.

Every year, the Tampa Bay Lightning takes a night out of the schedule and turn it into Hockey Fights Cancer night. This is where the hockey community turns their attention to searching for a way to overcome the terrible disease known as cancer and helps to not only raise money but awareness to the cause.

As you can imagine, one of the easiest ways to raise money and awareness for a particular cause is to create a line of merchandise bringing attention to said cause. One of the most obvious items in this list would be the purple Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys. However, as we are focusing on the guys this time, we chose an item specifically for them.

One of our favorite items from this collection is the 2016 Hockey Fights Cancer Tie and Pocket Square. The purple and lavender tie features a striped design with the Hockey Cancer Logo featured prominently towards the bottom of the tie.

The pocket square is mainly lavender with the Hockey Fights Cancer logo featured in the corner with smaller versions of the logo strewn throughout. This can be used in multiple levels of dressiness. You can wear the tie itself in a business situation, or you can combine the two for a much fancier look.

Whichever option you decide, you will be bringing awareness to a very worthy cause while looking amazing at the same time. You can pick up this gem at the Tampa Bay Sports Store for $75.00.

If you’re looking to save a little money, you can pick up this item online at the Tampa Bay Sports Store for around $59.99. Unfortunately, you more than likely will not have it in time for Christmas Day if you take this option.

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3. It’s All About The Ugly Sweater

Tampa Bay Lightning Ugly Christmas Sweater

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $74.99

One of our favorite parts of the Christmas season is being able to pull out our collection of ugly Christmas sweaters. These are the kind of sweaters you wouldn’t be caught dead with under normal circumstances; however, during the holiday season they are completely acceptable.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have always done a spectacular job of creating ugly sweaters. Heck, if you remember back a few years ago when the Lightning was preparing to transition from the old logo to the one Lightning fans see now, the Bolts tried to make the players believe an atrocious palm tree design would be the new logo.

This was the birth of the Tampa Bay Lightning ugly sweaters. This year, the Tampa Bay Lightning have come up with a new design to show you Bolts pride in the most festive way possible. It comes complete with the Lightning logo, Christmas trees, and even a bit of mistletoe.

Just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get more festive, the Tampa Bay Lightning pulled out one of their newest creations, the ugly sweater socks. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen…we said Tampa Bay Lightning ugly sweater socks.

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The ugly sweater socks come complete with the Lightning logo, a blue, black, and white plaid design, and even a little snowman to bring holiday cheer. We don’t know about you, but we plan on adding both of these to our collection this holiday season. Maybe your Lightning fan can appreciate the festive nature of the ugly sweater as much as we do.

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2. Good Ol’ Tampa Bay Lightning Jersey

Tampa Bay Lightning Third Logo Jersey

Tampa Bay Sports Store – $129.99 – $229.99

If there is anything that is sure to please even the most discerning Tampa Bay Lightning fan on Christmas Day, it’s a good old fashioned Tampa Bay Lightning jersey. Obviously, there are multiple options when it comes to jerseys, but the one we’ve chosen to focus on right now is the third logo jersey.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning /

Tampa Bay Lightning

One of the things that drew us to this particular jersey is its black color. There is still a part of us who are still very much in love with the old logo Tampa Bay Lightning jerseys, which were available in black or white. The black in the jersey makes us nostalgic for the old logo jerseys.

We also rather like the simplicity of the jersey, accentuated by the word Bolts flowing across the chest. It gives an old-time feel that makes this particular jersey stand out among the others.

Now, if the third logo jersey isn’t quite your thing, you can always check out the blue or white jerseys with the Tampa Bay Lightning logo strewn across the chest. There are also the “black ice” jerseys and the Hockey Fights Cancer Jerseys to choose from if that is more up your alley.

Here is where things get interesting. You have yet another choice to make. This can be based on personal preference or simple financial necessity. You can get the jersey by itself with no lettering or numbers on it. This will run you somewhere around $129.99.

If you’d prefer to either have your favorite player’s name and number on the jersey or have one customized with your name (or any name you so choose), you are looking at a $100 increase in price. You could always have the lettering done elsewhere for less; however, you won’t be getting the authentic NHL lettering.

At the end of the day, the decision is in your capable hands. Fortunately, there are plenty of options available, making this an easy option for every Tampa Bay Lightning fan.

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1. The Game Day Experience

Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets

McDonald’s Box Office at the Amalie Arena – Price Varies

If you or your loved one have never had the opportunity to make your way into the Amalie Arena in Downtown Tampa and see the Tampa Bay Lightning play live and in-person, you have no idea what you’re missing. Lightning owner Jeff Vinik has worked miracles when it comes to improving the game-day experience.

In addition to the game itself, there are a plethora of things for Lightning fans to do once inside the Amalie Arena. There are multiple merchandise stands with all kind of Lightning merchandise for sale, an almost unlimited supply of places to get your grub on, and places to get your party on.

Of course, the highlight of the night is taking your seat in the stands and watching as your favorite Tampa Bay Lightning players make their way out on the ice and do battle with their opponents in the hopes of bringing home a victory.

There is no greater feeling for a hockey fan than hearing the goal horn sound and watching your favorite team celebrate on the ice. If you’re a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, you also have the crack of electricity as the tesla coils fire high in the rafters.

This makes Tampa Bay Lightning game tickets the ultimate gift for any Lightning fan. There are 41 home games every season, so finding something to fit into your busy schedule is incredibly simple. In addition to this, you have the option of which team you want to see the Bolts play and where in the arena you’d like to sit.

Next: Bolts Who Need To Step Up In Absence Of Leadership

The best part is, this is something you can not only give to your friend or family member, but it’s something you can experience along with them. Isn’t that what the holidays are all about, spending quality time with those you love? What better way to do that than to take your favorite Lightning fan to a game?

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