Hockey puck giveaways, rally towels, mini sticks and more custom hockey merch for teams, sponsors and fans. 

Hockey season is almost here which means teams, sponsors and organizations are starting to think about promotional nights, fan giveaways and branded merchandise for the upcoming season.

Funny enough, the idea for this blog actually came to me at an Austin FC game.

We received a small light-up fan as a giveaway at the game. It wasn’t some expensive premium gift or anything overly complicated. It was just a fun, inexpensive promotional item that made sense for the setting. People were using them throughout the stadium and the sponsor got plenty of visibility along the way.

It got me thinking about how well that same strategy works in hockey.

Hockey has always been one of the best sports for creative promotional merchandise because there are so many products specifically designed around the game. Instead of putting a logo on another generic giveaway, sponsors can hand out something shaped like a hockey puck, stick, jersey or even a pair of skates.

With the season getting underway soon, we went through our collection of custom branded hockey promotional products and picked five of our favorites.

These can work particularly well for sponsors of NHL teams, but the opportunities go far beyond the NHL. AHL and minor league hockey teams, youth hockey organizations, tournaments, camps, colleges and local businesses sponsoring hockey programs can all use these ideas.

Why Hockey Promotional Products Work So Well

One of the biggest advantages of promotional hockey items is that they can become part of the game-day experience.

Think about an arena full of fans waving rally towels or foam hockey sticks after a goal. A relatively inexpensive giveaway suddenly creates thousands of impressions for the sponsor while also adding something to the atmosphere inside the arena.

That is why we like hockey-themed promotional products so much. They don't necessarily need to be expensive to work.

Depending on the event, you may need thousands of inexpensive hockey giveaways for everyone walking through the doors. For a sponsor hospitality event or season-ticket holder program, you might want something with a little higher perceived value.

There are plenty of options for both.

Here are five of our favorite custom hockey promotional products heading into the season.

#5: Hockey Puck Stress Relievers & Keychains

We’ll start with one of the simplest options on the list.

The Hockey Puck Stress Reliever and Hockey Puck Stress Reliever Key Chain aren't flashy products. That isn't really the point.

These are inexpensive hockey giveaways that can make sense when you need a lot of pieces without spending a huge amount per fan.

The hockey puck shape immediately connects the item to the sport and gives sponsors a simple place to display their logo. They can work well at arena entrances, sponsor booths, youth hockey tournaments, community events and team appearances.

The keychain version also gives you something fans can keep with them after the game.

For a sponsor looking for a straightforward hockey-themed giveaway at a lower price point, these are hard to overlook.

#4: Hockey Puck Bottle Opener

Moving up the list, we have the Hockey Puck Bottle Opener.

This takes the familiar hockey puck shape and turns it into something fans can use at home, at a tailgate or during a watch party.

That makes it a nice option when you want custom branded hockey merch with a little more staying power than a traditional game-day giveaway.

We especially like this type of product for adult fan bases, sponsor hospitality events, season-ticket holder programs, watch parties and corporate hockey events. It still has that unmistakable hockey look, but it serves a purpose long after the game is over.

It could also be a natural fit for breweries, beverage companies, restaurants and other brands sponsoring a hockey team or promotional night.

#3: 18" Mini Plastic Hockey Stick

There is something about a mini hockey stick that just works as a hockey giveaway.

The 18" Mini Plastic Hockey Stick is one of those products that immediately feels connected to the sport.

You aren't trying to make a standard promotional item feel hockey-related. It already is.

That makes mini hockey sticks especially good for youth nights, family nights, hockey camps, tournaments and minor league promotions. Kids are probably going to start playing with them immediately, which isn't a bad thing when your sponsor logo is printed right on the stick.

They also offer good visibility throughout the arena. When fans are carrying them around or holding them during the game, the promotional item continues doing its job rather than disappearing into a bag.

For youth hockey organizations, this can also be a fun giveaway for registration events, tournaments, camps or end-of-season programs.

#2: Hockey Jersey Rally Towel

We sell a lot of different custom hockey promotional products, but this is one of the designs that immediately caught our attention.

The Hockey Jersey Rally Towel takes one of the most popular sports giveaways and makes it even more relevant to hockey.

We have plenty of other rally towel options available, and traditional rectangular rally towels are always a strong choice. But we love the hockey jersey shape on this one.

It gives teams and sponsors the opportunity to incorporate team colors, logos and hockey-inspired artwork into the design while still getting everything people like about a rally towel.

And rally towels can create some serious visibility.

Hand out thousands before a playoff game, rivalry matchup, opening night or sponsored theme night and suddenly the sponsor's branding is moving throughout the arena every time the crowd gets going.

That combination of affordability, visibility and hockey-specific design makes this one of our favorite options.

#1: It's a Tie

We couldn't pick between these last two because they accomplish slightly different things, and both are just fun hockey promos.

USA-Made Dye-Sub Skates Can Hugger

First is the USA-Made Dye-Sub Skates Can Hugger.

This one gets points simply for being different.

Instead of a standard can cooler, it is designed to look like a pair of hockey skates. The dye-sublimated decoration also gives you a lot of freedom to incorporate team colors, sponsor logos and more creative designs.

This could be a really fun promotional item for beverage sponsors, breweries, watch parties, season-ticket events and adult-focused promotional nights.

It has more of a collectible feel than a basic can cooler and is the type of giveaway people are probably going to show the person sitting next to them as soon as they receive it.

18" Hockey Stick Foam Waver

Our other #1 is the 18" Hockey Stick Foam Waver.

If you're looking specifically for a hockey game-night giveaway, this might be our favorite of the bunch.

It's inexpensive, highly visible and something fans can start using immediately.

Hand them out before the game and fans can wave them during player introductions, after goals and during big moments throughout the night. If you have hundreds or thousands of them throughout an arena, that can create a ton of visibility for the sponsor.

This is exactly what we were talking about earlier with the light-up fan we received at the Austin FC game.

Sometimes the best sports promotional products aren't the most expensive. They're the ones that get fans involved.

We Might Be a Little Biased Toward Hockey

We are Dallas Stars fans here, and living in the Austin area also puts us pretty close to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.

We try to make it out to a couple of Texas Stars games each year, and one of the things we enjoy is seeing what they come up with for their promotional and theme nights.

Minor league sports in general can be great at this. The giveaway doesn't have to be some huge-ticket item. A fun product tied into the team, sponsor or theme of the night can become part of the experience.

That's one of the reasons hockey provides so many opportunities for sponsors. You have NHL teams with huge audiences, but you also have AHL and other minor league teams with loyal local fan bases. Then there are youth hockey organizations, tournaments, camps, colleges and community programs.

The right promotional product is going to depend on the audience, quantity and budget.

Start Planning Your Custom Hockey Giveaways

With hockey season approaching, now is a good time to start thinking about upcoming promotional nights, sponsorship activations and hockey-themed events.

A sponsor handing out thousands of inexpensive hockey puck stress relievers is going to have a very different program from a youth hockey organization ordering mini sticks or a beverage sponsor looking for a more creative giveaway. That's why we like having options at different price points.

You can browse our full collection of custom branded hockey merch and promotional hockey items, including hockey pucks, sticks, rally towels, foam products and other hockey-themed giveaways.

If you're planning an NHL sponsor giveaway, minor league promotional night, youth hockey program or another hockey-related event, let us know your quantity, budget and event date. We can help narrow down the options and provide pricing and free virtual samples to help you find the right fit.