Gift Picks for the Sports Fan

If you’re searching for the perfect gift for the sports fan on your list, there are plenty of choices out there, from the sublime to the ridiculous to the just plain weird. Here are a few ideas that will help make your shopping choices easier.

 

1) Hunger games

 

Perfect for fans who want to start their day off just right. The official Pro Toast Elite NHL Toaster not only toasts your bread but it also imprints the logo of your favourite NHL team. Gives new meaning to the phrase: “The Maple Leafs chances are toast.” Sears.ca $39.99

 

2) Sport sartorialism

Does your sports-mad husband like to wear his team colours on his sleeve? Why not give him these NHL vintage cufflinks, guaranteed to elicit positive comments at his next dressy affair. $60/pair. cufflinks.com 

3) Fitness friendly watch

The fitness buff on your list will love the Tom Tom Cardio Watch, particularly for its innovative – and accurate – built-in heart monitor. This smartwatch also helps pace your workouts, speeding them up or slowing them down to match your training goals. Plus, its first-rate GPS and full-screen display track and display your time, distance, pace and calorie burn, storing all the info for download to compatible running sites or apps. $299 tomtom.com

4) A shocking solution

We all know people who want to get healthy but simply can’t get off the couch. Shock them into action with a Pavlock wristband. The user plugs his or her fitness goals (jogging every second day, going regularly to the gym, cutting down on eating) into the Pavlock app. The wristband then monitors your activity – and if you’re not meeting your goals it will send a small (but noticeable) shock through your wristband, alerting you that you’re falling behind on your fitness promises. It’s like having a really nagging fitness instructor with you, 24-7. $199 (pre-order only) Pavlok

5) Grip it and rip it

The Callaway Home Range is Perfect for the golfing enthusiast who wants to keep in practice, even while the courses are covered in snow. This six-foot hitting net sets up quickly and in no time you’ll be driving and chipping balls in your basement, honing your swing for the golf season ahead. $164 golftown.com

6) Best hockey books of 2014

Hockey fans love to get the latest sports bio under the tree and, each Christmas, publishers  oblige with some interiguing choices.

• Mr. Hockey, My Story: This new autobiography of Gordie Howe should top any fan’s list, particularly this year with Howe’s ailing health.
• Grant Fuhr: The Story Of A Hockey Legend: Perfect timing for the release of the Edmonton Oiler’s goalie’s bio, just as he’s elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• Conversations with a Rattlesnake: Theo Fleury recalls the tribulations of his tumultuous off-ice career in an open and honest conversation with his therapist.
• All The Way: Jordin Tootoo explains how he made it all the way from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut to the NHL, and the struggles he faced overcoming his inner demons.
• Boy on Ice: The short, tragic life and controversial death of hockey enforcer Derek Boogaard.